Wonder in LeoLand
by M.D. Owen
Summary: Leonardo and the vastness of his Wonderland. Who and what will he meet on this fascinating, quirky adventure? 2011 Fanfic Awards: Strangest Scene 1st , Best Leonardo Scene 3rd , Best Action Adventure 3rd
1. Do Not Drink Me  Ever

_Updated 6/2012: I've been working on this piece for over a year now. It was a challenge on several levels. I started in first person, did a switch between characters in a few chapters, and then went back to third because it was easier to tell the entire story that way. Call it a lesson learned for myself. It's still enjoyable, especially if you like random and adventure. Happy reading-_

_My entry for the TMNTxOC challenge on Stealthy Stories featuring Leo. This story is based on a very vivid, bizarre dream I had a couple of weeks ago. It has given me the opportunity to create some interesting characters and situations. Using first person, present tense. We'll see how this goes!_

* * *

The dream becomes a nightmare; the nightmare becomes reality.

All around me, I see nothing beyond my own hand. I'm underwater, but the murkiness traps me, and I can't see the surface when upwards my eyes peer. No light. Just brown and cloudy under this cave. If it was a cave. I don't know how I got here. Which way do I turn? I should go up and try to find the surface. I could feel nothing below my feet. Do I go to my right or to my left?

There. Something is coming in my direction. An enemy? An ally? Maybe one of my brothers? No. They weren't with me when I plunged into this darkness.

It's coming closer, whatever it is.

I can breathe in the water, that's a relief. Stay strong, Leonardo: it repeated in my head and chest forever. Stay focused and choose a steady path. Master Splinter taught me conviction and resolve.

The creature lunges at me, and its teeth glistens in this Shadow. I move back swiftly, as swiftly as I can underwater, and dodge its assaults. I see a large fin dancing behind its silver body. A shark? I dodge again but I'm becoming more clumsy as I want to know what is attacking me. No time for that now. I'll find out what it is when it's dead.

As I'm ready to execute a devastating blow, the aquatic enemy curiously circles me. I had to keep turning with it so I can be ready for the next attack. Slowly, I glide closer to it, and the first thought that strikes my mind beyond its huge teeth still gnawing at me is that I am staring into the eyes of a mermaid. A mermaid that wants to eat me. Through the haze, its black hair glissade behind its giant head, and the silver over its body is bright, almost glaring through my eyes. I remember Splinter telling us stories of evil mermaids, and Mikey thought it couldn't be true. All mermaids were beautiful, rescued people, and sang on the seashore.

In the middle of my daydream, my blood thirsty mermaid dives for another attack, but my body is dragged away by an unknown, powerful force. The walls around me become a blur, the mermaid is vanishing into the soup, and I have no way of stopping my accelerating form blazing through the water. I reach out for anything, but my hands hit many sharp objects, like thorns, and I can't even see my own blood in front of me. I wiggle and thrash to break free, but I'm still going a million miles per hour through the cave and I have nothing or no one to save me.


	2. Not a Part of Your World

"Ymoh, arise!"

A voice pierces through the fog. Is it dark again? Am I still underwater?

"I cannot serenade to you like the Littos. Please open your eyes. We need to get you somewhere safe and you are too heavy to carry!"

The voice is female, distraught and shrilly. It reminds me of when April is angry after we rough house in her apartment; it's always Raph or Mikey knocking over expensive items and then trying to blame it on Don, each other, or me.

"What is an April?" The female is very confused. I must have mumbled some names by mistake. Come on, Body. It is time to become one with my mind again.

"Nipal! Come! Help me!"

After a few more seconds, my body absorbs harmony, and I open my eyes to whom I hope is my family.

"It lives!" An alto voice, belonging to a rabbit creature, declares. "Do I still need help you carry it, Zera?"

"I am not an 'it'," I groan and throw a hearty glare at the accused party. "My name is Leonardo, and you will call me by that name. Furthermore... " While I am busy spilling out my displeasure, I catch a small creak in my left ear and turn in time to see another creature trying to touch me. "Do not -" I grab its hand, "- interrupt me when I'm talking."

The one named Zera steps forward, and her austere presence commands my respect: impressively huge inky eyes, sandy fur coat, a bushy tail, and she doesn't blink or cower as I glare at her. Her protracted ears droop to her side, falling just below her shoulders. She would have my full respect if she wasn't dressed in a skimpy black and orange tuxedo.

Nice tiny orange top hat. And legs. I release her hand.

"Please excuse my partner here," Zera blankly apologized. "He is dumb and is late for a rave at the cornerstore."

Rave? Fennec-like creatures in tuxedos? And rabid mermaids. This logically has to be a dream.

Becoming impatient, Zera sighs and tugs on one of her ears. I suppose the look of utter bewilderment is seen in this place quite often. I didn't have time to study what was she doing with her ear because the rabbit behind me turned into a giant purple walrus and started drooling on the ground. Unhygienic.

"Nipal!" Zera screams upward, her ears bouncing with her swift movements. "Do not drool on the Ymoh or I will cut your tusk and shove it through your stomach!"

I see that they get along about as well as Raphael and I do.

Nipal's saliva was burning the ground in front of me, and it reminds me of the time when we dodged Mikey's hot-grease as a part of a training exercise. It wasn't an official training exercise from Master Splinter, but I'm glad we practiced. And practiced often. It is going to come in handy here!

"Ymoh, I do not have all minute. Get on or stay here and become Lucarac meal." Zera hops up Nipal with a long whip and sits on his head. "We will meet with Nipal's second cousin on his mother's side, RomRom, and shall join forces against the Lucarac."

She keeps calling me this 'Ymoh', and I have no idea what it means. After a few moments, I quickly join her on the top of this purple walrus that used to be a rabbit because my questions are not going to get answered by these residents. Logic has no place here.

I must adapt!


	3. Mirror Mirror in the Sky

This world.. whatever it might be …

We're soaring in the skies on this giant amethyst mammal. The wind pushes into my face, and I hold steady by extending my arms. My balance is a little shaky in this world. The airborne mammal I am riding certainly doesn't have the grip I need to sustain control.

"Hold on to me before you fall off, Ymoh, and become patty on the ground."

I do as Zera asks by grabbing her hips. They are muscular.

It's a pulchritudinous but haunting landscape below my feet: the outskirts are a wasteland, but the Center is unscathed with a colossal architecture and a city within a city. The clustered suburban areas are a travesty. There are enormous decapitated white heads with black eyes in the streets. Their mouths are still moving.

"Nipal, fly lower!" Zera flicks the whip. I believe Nipal grunted in retaliation, but the gurgle came from his back end rather than the front. I feel the need to ignore what might have transpired.

He barged his way closer to the ground, flapping his fin like a manic wing; he waddled in the air, almost throwing us off, and incoherently mumbled while Zera stomped her high heels into his head. They bounced off him like rubber. I didn't think he felt it too much.

When the turbulence eased, we sailed through the skies once again, and I can't keep my eyes off the city below. It was massive, unreal, and an uneasiness crawled through my veins. I peer upwards to the clouds, and as I squint through the light's blaze, the sky shimmers and ripples. Like the surface of water.

The sky is turf and the ocean is the atmosphere. An reversed world.

Zera's top hat, now blue, rushes off her head and bounces off my beak, but I catch it before it goes solo. Her ears, fur, and the frilly bits on her tuxedo are flapping in the wind. It was difficult not to notice her facial profile. Even from the side, I can tell she holds turmoil in her soul.

She turns to me, her left ear whipping across her forehead. "If you stare in this land, you are sentenced to death by jellyfish."

I do not want that to happen. "How does that work exactly? That's not an acceptable form of a public death in my world."

"I cannot speak of it," Zera winced and moved her ear out of the way. "Where did you come from, Ymoh?"

"My name is Leonardo. Please. Call me by my name. I've already asked you once before."

"You are not my Familiar; newcomers are called by their species."

Nipal announces, "Docking in five etunim." But Zera pays no attention.

"A Ymoh is your turtle species then?" I ask and slightly lose my footing that I hope nobody notices.

Turbulence hits Air Walrus again, and Nipal shouts a battle cry in a foreign language. Zera stands tall, extends her arm, and her whip transforms into a different weapon, sending razor-bladed glitter through the sky. I use my forearm as a shield. I wish she warned me!

"May I call you Zera? Calling you Fennec Lady seems rude, at least where I reside." The tossing and sliding on the walrus begins. "Is that a monk's spade?" I point to her weapon, still holding on to her hips for dear life.

"Am I a familiar to you?" She arches her weapon back, looking straight ahead. "This is Sinai, my companion."

"Yes. The only constant here. Other than your changing top hat and weapon," I casually compliment and try not to fall off the roller coaster mammal. "Hello, Sinai. It is nice to meet you."

Sinai hums in a glow. I bow to it.

Zera didn't reply instantly; she bends forward, and her backside is in my face; I quickly shift my body and reach over to the side to scope the trouble before us. Something zooms passed my head and my ears ring.

"Nipal! Fly closer!" Zera braces herself. "Hold your breath, Ymoh. We approach a no-fly zone against the Lucarac's BabaBusters."

"What just almost hit me?" We come to a stop finally.

"One of the fires from its wings. Do you see them now?"

She moves from my view and in front of us, hovering in the sky's center, is a row of flaming winged …. billboards. Billboard ads on chicken legs. I can't read what's on the billboards because my eyes twitch. Why are they twitching?

"Focus, Ymoh," Zera whispers and her ears fold back. She twirls Sinai and points the bladed end towards the enemies and continues speaking to me, "The message is for you. It can help resolve our situation. If I help you, I will perish."

No matter what I do, I can't understand the billboards. My brain jumbles the words and images, and since everything feels so real, I avoid trying to slip off to my doom. If I fall, will I catapult into water or shatter on this world's terrain?

The BabaBusters, as goofy looking as they are, waste no time in protecting their fly zone.


	4. It isn't a Lie

_Had this uploaded earlier but removed it and changed the middle to end. Works much better. MUCH MUCH better. hehe_

* * *

The fennec lady, Zera, and Nipal the Flying Walrus are upside down. Nipal has a rainbow pattern underneath his belly. Very strange. Why do I keep saying that word: strange? I should use another synonym to explain the magical journey in this land. Absurd. Fantastic. Erratic. Exceptional.

I'm running out of words and time. Lots of time.

A mini-Bababuster shaped like an eight ball propelled towards me before I could even blink, and the walrus, as I stated before, isn't my best balancing act. Nipal is still wailing since I tried grabbing his whiskers on the way down, and I do believe he even shook me off his body. Perhaps he was just frightened? If I survive this fall, I will be sure to get the facts straight. I didn't appreciate being flung to my doom.

The Bababusters are still whizzing past my head and body. My elbow smashed one in the face, and its piercing screech combining a car's squealing brakes and a cat's cry made my ears tremble. The other Busters aren't intimidated and continue charging towards me. Heat isn't emitting from their little wings of fire, I notice. It's hard to concentrate with so many whizzes and zooms, but I grab one of those suckers, Raph-style, and take the biggest chance by squeezing until it pops.

This will be the last time I ever mimic my aggressive brother.

As the smoke fizzles, the fire wings mutate into tiny red cakes. Yes, I said cakes. The edible ones. I have no idea what to do with cakes while free-falling, and I am not eating them. Splinter always taught us to never consume food from strangers. The Bababusters cease the attacks, and I can faintly hear Zera's voice calling me. Or for Ymoh. I am Ymoh. What is she saying to me? Ymoh, something. Ymoh, beat? Ymoh. Ymoh. Her voice is coming closer. Ymoh, read? I was supposed to read the billboards, I remember. My eyes wouldn't focus at the time. It's impossible to do that now.

"Ymoh!"

Why does it feel like my body is almost floating? She calls for me again, and giant orbs of magic dance above me as she and her weapon, Sinai, obliterate a fraction of the Busters. Nipal is sloppily cruising through the air, but Zera is holding her own. She had been depending on me to redeem this tricky situation. We barely know each other yet she still sought to help me. I had to repay the favor. I've fallen from great heights many times. This is nothing!

"Ymoh!" Sounds, colors, and senses are much clearer now. Control. I need total control. "Ymoh, eat! EAT!"

Eat, she says! The cakes. I ravaged into one, two, and it's the most disgusting yet delicious thing in my life and reminds me of the time I tried to bake a red velvet cake for April. It was the thought that counts, she said. I'm not a bad cook; I'm just a perfectionist. My family and friends are important to me and when they are in my mind, my heart is on a very short leash.

I wish to see them one last time. Even Casey.

Hues of red spread beneath me; a chillier air tickles my fingertips, and for a few moments, I'm completely numb. I ate the red cake and now I own a pair of flaming wings, bursting from my back. They stretch upwards to the sky, showering everything in its crimson glory. Nipal wails blaze across the land, and the Busters are right on my friends' tails, squealing and screaming through the air. Manipulating their fear empowered me and immediately, the Bababusters are consumed and disintegrated by the wings. By my own virtue.

I would like to see the Battle Nexus Champion do tricks like this. Eat your heart out, Mikey.

We're still falling, but the citizens of Zera's land have a spectacular fireworks display. Speaking of Zera and Nipal, where are they? I can't see them through the smoke, flames, and hot runny icing that is now burning parts of my body. In fact, the flames are emitting heat and growing! What's going on? Have I lost control of my own power so soon? Do my many years of discipline and strict training not matter in this land? The only thing I can do is cover myself and pray the ground hits me before the fire eats my flesh.

A thick, balmy wave of chunky liquid plunges over my curled form, and as the smell strikes my nostrils, I would have chosen the fire over this mess. I should also mention that I'm no longer falling. After I wipe the crud from my face, the flaming wings downgraded to tiny red orbs. Zera and Nipal halt in front of me.

Zera is breathing hard, her dark eyes almost protruding from her head. "My sincere apologies. There wasn't enough time to get water from the Littos."

"So," I groan and toss away the cold chunks off my body, "you had Nipal barf on me?"

Nipal whimpers, and Zera's eyes slit and her ears fold closer to her head. "He was getting dizzy."

The smell is atrocious. I'm too busy cleaning myself and barely noticed the orbs disappearing. Good riddance for now. I will need better training before I tackle that again.

As I climb on Nipal, I am very careful to step on every sensitive spot on his face and head. Jackass. Don't try to throw me off or hurl on me again.

"Very good work, Ymoh. Very good." She grinned and bent over to access Nipal's ears.

What a view. It's almost hard to look away, and my brothers would tease me into Eternity but I want to repeat back to her, _Very good, Zera. Very good_. Yuck. I really mustn't think this way. I have more important issues at hand.

I quietly cough. "Your help was appreciated. You're a great fighter. I'm proud to have you in my corner."

She removes her yellow top hat and smiles back at me. "Likewise. We are almost to our destination."

"The rave at the cornerstore to meet RomRom, Nipal's second cousin on his mother's side?" I can't believe I remembered, but it was something that glued to my mind.

"We got word that RomRom is dead. Plans have changed."

I removed the last of Nipal's stomach contents from my shell by spinning on Nipal's squishy body. Express dry cleaning. "My condolences. May those plans include getting me a proper wash?"

"Of course. I will get you whatever you need."

"Fantastic. Show the way."

Even Zera's frilly underpants flapping in the wind couldn't hold my attention. I can't believe a giant walrus puked on me. On second thought, I'll skip this part of the story when I tell Mikey; I believe I'll tell him that a group of beautiful female turtles in exotic firefighter suits hosed me to safety.

Much, much better.

* * *

_RomRom died of _? You decide. _


	5. Leo's Odyssey

"Leave us. You are of no further use to our mission."

The purple walrus, Nipal, blinks back his gushy tears and transforms into his rabbit persona. I need to clarify that he resembles a very dopey rabbit. Nothing majestic or strong like my friend, Usagi-san. His clothes swallow him whole, even tripping over his pants between tantrums.

Zera is giving him one hell of a domineering glare.

This world is giving me the case of the giggles. I can't keep a straight face but it is difficult when someone is crying and grovelling at one's feet, wailing and grabbing a frilly piece of a skimpy tuxedo.

"Zera! The queen of my heart! I will behave!" bawls Nipal and he slobbers on her furry leg. "My heart is broken over RomRom, and the Bababusters make me lose all bodily functions."

Zera's whiskers twitches and her ears bend behind her head. "You cared nothing for RomRom! I can't even count the many times you talked trash about him! Don't use that excuse! You are just a big, toxic ball!"

Nipal's lip quivers and his green eyes dilates, swallowing his own misery.

"It is best if we part now, Nipal."

"Lady Zera!" Nipal is a pitiful sight, pounding his fist on the ground and chewing on his scraggly, floppy ears and wiping his nose with them. "Remember the good times! We had so many! I have always been there for you!"

She whaps him with her green hat, and he whimpers from the white grass, rolling and sobbing. "You pathetic lagomorph! Gather yourself and be gone!"

"I need my Zera! I need my Zera!" He keeps repeating the same words and rolls in the grass. Zera finally just stomps away, contorting her face in fury. I follow her and keep looking back at Nipal in the field. He hiccups and switches back to the walrus form.

A crying walrus spinning with the daises beats any deplorable thing I've ever seen. A part of my heart wants to reach out and give the lump a rub on the back or apologize for my harsh thoughts, but he really has been nothing but trouble. From Zera's expression and snap decision, Nipal had this coming for a long time.

We stop under a sickly-looking tree, and the tiny amount of leaves are humming. I can't place the tune and it's quite nice.

"I apologize for my outburst and his breakdown. We go through this ordeal every week." Zera can't even look me in the eyes. I follow her gaze and smile when she finally peers back at me. She seems puzzled by my feeble attempt at humor. "What are you doing, Ymoh?"

"My brother Mikey always does that to me when I'm upset. I didn't mean to confuse you."

She picks a leaf off a branch and eats it.

The silence is unnerving. So is her eating a leaf. "What does that taste like?"

"Gummy and fruity. I shouldn't be eating it. These are rare trees."

I take a stab in the dark. "Is it the Gummy Tree?"

"Twinkie Tree."

Of course. Nothing makes sense around here. "Twinkie Tree. Where I come from, twinkies are sponge cakes. This would be called a Gummy Tree, or maybe the Humming Tree."

"Humming?" Her beady eyes dazzle. "You can hear it?"

I might as well have stepped on her foot. "Am I not supposed to hear them?"

"Only a selected few do. You are special, Ymoh." A little tease to her voice.

"And you don't hear it?"

"No," she scoffs and removes her hat. She has a fluff of bouncy white bangs under that hat. It almost feels out of place for her or is a part of her personality that she doesn't wish to explore. I get the feeling she hides a lot of herself.

I must have been awkwardly staring at her because she plops the hat back on her head. I want to apologize for my behavior, but she continues walking and has that 'don't press the issue' look. I've seen it a few times on April's face. As Donatello says, 'the buck stops here'.

"I will get you somewhere safe, a place that I trust," she quickly informs and a small smile spreads across her muzzle. "No Nipals, I promise."

I chuckle and walk beside her. "Good. And will you stay there, too?"

"For a moment. Then, I must move on. You will be in good hands."

I catch my tongue before I speak and instead confirm, "I trust you. Thank you." I feel that what I want to say is inappropriate; I hardly know this lady, but she is the only familiar person to me.

A stiff breeze gently caresses the large ivory grass needles; behind us, the Twinkie tree is still humming. The further I walk away from it, the more the tune increases in my ears. The wind has a cool splash sensation on my skin. Evidently, we must be in a hybrid-aquatic environment since the sky does have a ripple on its surface. The sensation is getting colder and the twinkie tree's song blares in my head. Thoughts are becoming more scattered. Am I really here? Where is Raphael? He was standing beside me earlier. Is he here? Can I breathe? I feel like I'm underwater again. Confused. The loud song is making my stomach uneasy. The white is turning yellow and flashing dots form in front of my vision. My mouth won't move. Tongue is cemented. My brothers, where are they? Master? April? The wind's touch is freezing but my legs are on fire. Did I eat one of those bababuster cakes again? Zera didn't tell me to do that. She was in front of me. I can't see her now. I only see a yellow and black filter.

Even through the warped noise, I realize that the Twinkie Tree is a siren, and it's dragging me back to it. If Zera is calling for me, I can't hear her. All of my senses have been captured... by a mere tree. A magical twinkie tree. I am partially ashamed.

There's a tiny voice in the storm of music, or noise rather. Music is soothing, and this cacophony is certainly not pleasant. Reaching the voice in the back of my mind is laborious, and it takes a good dose of my will to grab it. I struggle through overlaps of cries and whistles, similar to a repeated chorus of Raph and Mike's drunk karaokes. Disastrous!

A throaty hiss tickles my ears. "The Lergnok is using you."

That's all it keeps saying to me. Starting to get really annoyed and go back to the thunderous bellow now.

"It would help if I knew what a lergnok is. And do not go any further up my thighs, thank you." My groin area is feeling a bit chilled. The enemy really doesn't want to go there.

"That pathetic friend of yours."

I fume under hot breath and close my eyes. I wonder where this cretin has stored my body.

It continues, obviously badgered. "It's a shame that you do not cry for your friend. I would ask the others to stop beating her."

The enemy devours emotional responses. Zera is capable, from what I've seen. I want to help her; I want to call for her, but my tongue is still useless. This enemy does not know us; it does not know me.

"Four against one." It echoes in my head.

Zera has Sinai, her weapon. Two against four. It can be won.

A drop of fake concern in its voice. "She is skilled. Oh! Her weapon broke."

Liar.

"Red on white. Do you like crimson showers?"

She might bleed. Of course she will bleed, but the blood pumping in her body will help her think straight and valiantly fight.

"We have no use for lergnoks. Her blood taints our pure lineage."

Zera is a mutt to them. A throw-away, a shameful creature. A turmoil that makes my stomach writhe more than listening to the horrible sirens. The vocal presence is spreading across my skull, almost like it's shrouding me. I can't let this creep absorb me. I have a family back home. I have a friend who needs me now.

"She isn't moving." It acts like it's talking to someone else momentarily and then returns to me, "She's calling for you."

Pop quiz time; my tongue moves again, clunky and my words slur but it's moving. "What is she saying, Observant One?"

Hesitation, then back to me again. "We can't hear her through the gargling."

I grin, or I think I am. It's almost second nature dealing with so many cocky enemies. _Whatever you do, Zera, don't call me by your special name. It's just between us._

"She's trying to stand up. What a good sport."

The noise is dying away finally. I don't think this bastard realizes its power over me is dwindling because it's too busy trying to trick me.

It viciously laughs. "Those ears are good for something! Holding her head up while kicking her."

My legs are no longer on fire, just tepid, and I open my eyes slightly. No filter. Perfect. The spell is almost gone.

"She's flopping like a fish on the ground!" It cackles, "We'll throw her to the Lucaracs. They might not eat her because her meat is tough! Pitiful creature she is!"

The massive grip around my arms is a little harder to unbind, but the frosty tingle dissipates, too. With no filter and flashing spots, my vision is back to normal and I'm able to walk away from the enemy. I stand there and look up at the healthy tree. Leaves flourishing and sprouting from every branch.

And it's still senselessly nattering. "She's useless! Should have never been created! Of all the beings in this land, and - hey! Hey! Stop eating that!"

I'm chomping on one of its bigger leaves. "It _is_ gummy."

"You cannibal!" One of its branches swing for me but I easily duck. The tree tries to seduce me with a goofy erotic voice. "Get back in here and let me rub your sore thighs! Males love me. You will never have to worry about being alone."

The gummy leaf hangs out of my mouth. "I don't share, you should know this. No other mate but me. How many men are you hiding in there?"

Silent tree is very silent, as Mikey would say. I think that shut it up.

As I turn, there is Zera. Not bloody but is bruised up and her tuxedo is almost all torn. "Hello." All I can manage while eating a leaf.

"Amazing. You outwitted the Twinkie Tree." I take that back. Her teeth are a little bloody, and those long ears are standing straight on her head. No hat in sight. She must have lost it during the fight.

"Who did you battle?"

She points towards the field. "An inferior gang called the Kiwi Bats."

I peer into the landscape and see some bodies in the grass. "Are they bats?"

"No," she informs and her ears droop, "they are my kind. Foxes."

A moment of silence for the Kiwi Bats. I'm glad the red on the white grass wasn't hers. Should I tell her that? No, I'll tell her something else. "I'm very proud-"

"Did this tree insult me?" Her ears were slanted back. Scary but still cute.

I didn't know how to answer, really. "Some."

She steps over to the tree, kicks it, and savagely plucks the leaves off the branches. She emits these high pitched shrills and her tail puffs. The tree didn't make a sound or try to attack her.

"Come." She stomps into the field after her tirade, heading towards the bodies. I will not disobey those ears.

The four Kiwi Bats look exactly like Zera, except for oozing fluids and a darker shade of fur. She's actually tiny compared to the brutes. I knew she could kick their asses.

"Great job, Zera. I'm proud of you."

I think I scared her with the compliment. She mumbles and then loots goods off the gang members. I see a dagger and grab it, just in case.

"We must get to the recovery house before UnderLight."

She trips over a body, loses her shoe, shrugs, and quickens her pace, dropping some of her items. I pick them up and trail after her.

I've never seen anybody move that fast in my life! It's like she's always skating on ice.


	6. Beauty and the Skeleton

In the last half hour of our walk, we have been approached by creatures in Earth's 17th century clothing wear holding giant pink umbrellas, a group of gangster mice (the normal small kind) who ask you for currency, unwrap it, and eat it; a giant insect riding a bicycle, and busty cat-women wearing gas masks. Not one citizen gave me a strange look; that was almost as unnerving for me.

Just outside the gigantic city, an antebellum home is tucked in a little corner by a giant oak tree. I like the old Southern homes and used to look at pictures for hours. I'm excited to see one and also to prop up my feet; I haven't been able to breathe since I got here.

Zera is in front of me, still huffy, and when we reach the door, she knocks on it and impatiently taps her foot. As we're waiting for a reply, twin women join us. They look human! Dark brown hair, plump, older women, but their eyes were golf ball-sized black holes. I suppose they are looking me over but I can't tell. Their expressions are sad, however, and they're cuddling together like they're frightened.

A small, scratchy voice peeps from the door and it opens. Zera frantically grabs my hand and we're in the house before I know it. The twins never attempt to get inside before the door slams shut. I stand there looking at it, feeling sorry for them.

"Come," Zera says behind me, but I can't move. Why couldn't the twins come inside too? I knew I had no business asking, but looking around the huge space and seeing only a handful of creatures in here, it's tragic to leave them out there when they wanted to join us.

The door guard, a grumpy penguin, shakes his head and opens the tiny slit in the door. "Knock three, become dust. Knock two, we cannot trust. Tap one plus three minus that."

Silence.

How many times did Zera knock? I didn't pay too much attention to it. She knocked and tapped her foot; I just thought she was still mad.

One of the twins attempt the procedure. Four knocks, three taps. The door penguin huffs and there's a scream outside followed by frantic footsteps running from the house.

"What happened?" I blurted and loom over the door guard. I'm ticked!

He doesn't seem intimidated. "She became dust. You have to know the entrance puzzle. Step back before I throw you outside. Then you'll have to solve the puzzle yourself."

Fire burns in my throat and I'm ready to step on this jerk like a wet ball. "There's more than enough space in here!"

A soft hand lands on my shoulder. "Ymoh, Sine doesn't give second chances. Please understand his intention. You know nothing of this world."

Sine and I unlock death glares. The only reason I calm down is because I see a fish child humping a globe. I'm back to being puzzled again.

Zera is correct: I don't know anything about this world. It's baffling, wacky, makes no cognitive sense, and it's brutal. I can walk around with the others, but I feel just as out of place and I still can't make anyone understand my intentions. There was NO REASON why those twins couldn't come in when we did.

Zera points to an elegant style sofa, reminiscent of Earth's 1940s interior design. I suppose. April would know this sort of thing. I sit between a naked human lady and a skeleton with a top hat on the couch. Zera disappears and I continue stewing over the Twin matter. That really ticks me off.

A gold box lands near my feet, and Zera kneels on the floor in front of me. My anger subsides once I see her open the box and pull out first aid supplies.

"I thought you were leaving me?" I lifted my leg on command.

She quickly glances at me and swabs a cotton ball on my knee wound. "I don't think you need to be alone. Sine will toss you out of here as soon I turn my back."

"Not if I toss him out first."

She grins, the first in a long time; it's cut once her eyes move over to the woman sitting next to me. I turn to see a giant pair of blue eyes looking deep into mine. "May I help you?" I keep my eyes on her face.

Her blue eyes vibrate with adoration, or insanity, I'm not sure which one. "Yes, you may." Her voice is almost breathless. I give a leery eye towards Zera, who tightens her lips in frustration. I hope it's not anything I've committed.

Before I could open my mouth, the lady replies, "I can't see Doctor Buck. You're in the way of his pretty profile."

By all means, I gladly remove myself and sit down on the floor. I turn back to look at the skeleton, the one called 'Dr. Buck', and he's motionless. The woman seems infatuated with him. I'm glad my back is turned to her because I'm tired of seeing her naked.

Zera treats a few scratches on my arm. It's hard not to watch her gravely concentrate on her nursing skills and flick her ears in frustration when Miss Naked Lady sighs and puts her elbows on my head to watch Dr. Buck.

"Isn't that uncomfortable?" Zera dryly asks and lunges supplies back into the gold box. Snaps it shut with a cold glare towards the lady.

I nod. "A little." I'm ready to remove the lady's elbows, but Zera pushes the them off my head and scuffs to another room. I don't know whether to follow her or not, but a sharp click of her tongue prompts me to move my tail. It's getting rather creepy on the sofa, anyways.

The bathroom is quite spacious. And very pink. Peachy and pink. A photo of a lovely lady hangs beside the extensive mirror in a, naturally, rose period dress. Zera clinks around the sink and washes her hands. She has a few scrapes and cuts, too, and I think I should return the favor by helping her.

"I will doctor your wounds." I touch her arm and she looks at me in the mirror.

"No, thank you. I'm fine."

"Please."

Her tail puffs. Uh-oh. "I'm not finished with yours," she snaps.

I act like I drop the conversation, but I mildly slam the door and point to the toilet. "Sit." Just like she always demands of me. My brothers usually joke that my glares are fearsome, I don't blink in the process, and I could strangle someone with their own intestines and be fine with it.

I believe I really could do that.

Now wild-eyed, ears-drooping-by-her-face Zera obeys and stays put on the seat. While I rattle in the gold box and find all sorts of non-medical items like a buzzsaw and whip, I glance over at Zera and she's huddled on the toilet like I'm about to do unspeakable acts to her.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Zera. Relax."

She relaxes her ears and whiskers at least.

I find ointment beside an erotic dvd (_Hot Nurses and Intensive Care_ – yuck!). "You remind me of my brother, Raphael. I had to be tough with you because you won't listen otherwise. I apologize."

Her legs soften; she can't look at me, I gather.

Gently, I touch her leg, clean the wound with a pink flamingo towel, and apply the ointment. She doesn't wince even though the wound looks angry. I remember cleaning April's wounds one time and she slapped me from the pain. I have been careful since then. "I'm sorry for getting mad at Sine, your friend."

A smile curls on her muzzle, whiskers bounce slightly. "I tried not to laugh, Ymoh, and he's not my friend."

"I'm not the clown of my family, believe it or not. Michelangelo holds that title."

She leans back and looks up at the ceiling. "I like laughing."

"You should do it more."

Zera blankly said, "I am when I'm with you."

I make sure her fur isn't terribly matted together from the ointment. "Then don't leave my side. I need your help." I hope that didn't sound creepy to her, but it is very true.

She nods and straightens, popping her back. "I can take care of the rest of the wounds. Thank you."

I almost protest but strangely, she's grinning and pointing to her tattered clothes. Nothing more needs to be said. I take a couple of supplies and a flamingo towel with me. When I exit the bathroom, a deafening alarm blares through the house.

"Put the towel back!" Zera whispers sharply. I catapult it to her and the alarm stops. All over a towel? Sheesh!

I didn't want to investigate more of this temperamental place so I resumed my spot between the lady and the skeleton, making sure the lady could always see Dr. Buck and because I didn't want any part of my body being a footstool or head rest. The sighing and awkward staring annoys me, but Dr. Buck doesn't seem to mind. Is he even alive? Does he realize a naked woman has the hots for him?

My biggest concern is if Zera is holding up well and if she needs my help for anything. I suppose if a monster appears in the bathroom, she could grab a machete out of the box and scare it away. I wonder if she looks at the photo on the wall, too. It was interesting and almost familiar.

The lady in the photo.

I turn to the lady beside me. Wow! They're similar! Are they the same person?

"Hello there!" A cheerful, bouncy male voice rings from my right. It's Dr. Buck, the skeleton. Talking to me. Looking dead at me. "She IS the same person! Meet my longtime patient, Martha Bumingstead. Will you be joining our session today, Mister...?"

I close my mouth and lightly stammer. "It looks like I will. I don't have a choice while my friend is in the restroom. Leonardo. My name is Leonardo."

He crosses his bony legs and removes his hat. "I am Doctor Buck, psychiatrist and Head Chef."

Martha leans closer to me and lovingly stares at her doctor. I really wish Zera would hurry!


	7. The Fox and the Turtle

_I've been, uh... *busy* with online activities lately. :) Never knew how addicting RPs can be... *hides*_

* * *

Dr. Buck's bottom jaw rattles as he eloquently speaks, "Let us get down to basics! You are not from this world and you are confused."

"That is a very good start," I tag on to his quick wit. "How do I get home?"

"How did you get here?"

Martha leans into me, sighs, hums, and stares a hole into the skeletal doctor. Her face doesn't look natural by this point; I'm afraid all the lights are off upstairs.

I continue to Dr. Buck, "Underwater. I was being chased by an angry mermaid."

"Then that is where you go home. Get past the mermaid and you will go home." His jaw clicks and I believe one of his ribs breaks. Martha scuttles on the floor, retrieves it, and sits on the floor, looking up at him.

Also, Dr. Buck's accent periodically changes; he was talking to me in a British accent but it's Hispanic now, if I'm not mistaken. "These old bones are not holding up anymore. Pardon me if I rattle and shake. It is almost sixth breakfast time and the house guests are hungry. I must be quick with our session."

Sixth breakfast time? "How do I get back to the mermaid?"

"Ask the dollface in the restroom."

"Dollface? Zera?" I point in her direction.

Dr. Buck turns to the window behind us and uses his cane to pull the blinds open. "The Moon Tree is your communication device in this world. Do not get it mixed up with the Twinkie Tree. Big trouble."

I peer at the tree and nod. "I'm familiar with the Twinkie Tree. "

A Russian accent drips from his shaky head. "The Moon Tree can only be used by specific individuals. Before you are born, you are assigned to a circle of souls. You can only contact them via the Moon Tree."

This is a head-scratching moment. "Do I have knowledge of who these individuals are, Dr. Buck?"

"I do not know. Do you?" Martha's hand wiggles around the sofa and brushes against Dr. Buck's femur. Suddenly, I feel awkward, like she's touching me.

"Zera is the only person I know in this world."

Dr. Buck pets Martha on the head. "Better than nothing!"

"What happens if I contact someone who isn't in this circle of souls?"

He tips his hat and replies in a Southeastern-American accent, "You will catch on fire. A big ball of fire and you will taste your eyeballs as they melt down your face. I must go. Bye."

My eyes dart to the restroom and I yearn for semi-normal companionship. Dr. Buck falls limp and Martha pouts. Her pupils return to clarity, and I realize that she is a naked woman. I turn my focus back on the restroom, just in time for Zera to come out of it. I am so relieved!

Then, Martha flops across Dr. Buck and lands in my lap. Zera's ears and whiskers twitch at the sight. I'm dumbfounded by Martha's sudden attraction to me. Why couldn't she follow Dr. Buck to the kitchen or wherever he was preparing food?

"Return to your grave, lovesick phantom," Zera sneers. She's at eye level with Martha now.

Oblivious Martha Bumingstead, in her birthday suit, squeezes every inch of her body against me. I've never had a naked woman throw herself onto me.

Scared and confused now. My brothers must never know this happened, especially the scared and confused part.

So what does Zera do? She plants herself on top of Martha and me, and we're a leaning tower of mixed hormones. Martha nuzzles my face, I shove her away, Zera uses Dr. Buck's bony remains as support and uses her legs to push Martha off me, and Martha's hands go a little too far south on me. Zera shows her teeth and latches on Martha upper torso and bites her left shoulder; however, instead of Martha being in pain and screaming, it's me. It's my right shoulder being bitten, and it's enough for me to push both of the brawlers off my lap.

Zera's mouth is covered in a silvery liquid substance, but I'm too busy with my throbbing wound to tend to her. It's worse than what a similar gash would feel like: prickly, gnawing, and severely deep. True to this world, there's no visible trauma. Just pain that could cut through steel.

I finally look at her traumatized face and calm her worries despite my predicament. "It stings but I'm okay. I'm okay, really. I'm sorry that I pushed you off me."

Martha isn't in the room anymore. Zera wipes her mouth, looks at the fluid, and starts rubbing my shoulder. My injury aches for a short time and it quickly dissipates. I finally have to stop her rubbing because my skin is feeling raw.

"I'm okay, Zera," I calmly whisper and hold her hand away from my shoulder. "The pain has died. We're safe."

She tugs at her hand and I unlock my grip. Anxiety is painted across her face and she can't look me in the eye again. Just from the short time I've known her, that expression means she's guilty. Once the adrenaline simmers down, I put the pieces of the events together. I'm beginning to see a pattern in this world, somehow. I don't know how it's coming to me, but it is. Zera is a fireball, but she doesn't jump into a fight without being highly provoked. Martha was using enchantment, or maybe it was Dr. Buck. It could have been Sine or the picture of Martha on the wall. Somebody was using malicious intent.

And that surely pisses me off to no end. Don't take advantage of people's emotions!

Her face is a map of sadness and guilt. Without realizing it, I'm caressing her face and patting her shoulder. I don't have any more words left to tell her that everything will be fine and that it was alla trick. The world is one big bag of tricks. I feel like she and I are the butt of every joke. Another thing that doesn't sit well with me. Just ask Mikey.

Zera politely sniffs me. "You may need to..."

"Yes." I nod and leave for the bathroom. I've forgotten that I still have all kinds of foreign substances on me and need to clean up. I give one last look at Zera; her back is turned to me, but she isn't standing as tall as before. I don't like leaving her alone, but I doubt she feels comfortable in here with me.

The picture on the wall has completely changed. As I'm washing, I curiously study it: a border "step" pattern, very reminiscent of Native American cultural design I remember, and a silvery fire surrounding a long eared creature: a cross between a horse and a cat. Peculiar.

I'm sticky from head to toe, and it takes ages for me to cleanse myself from it. Only Donatello could make this kind of mess. Yuck! I'll never get this off before the next strange battle.

One last look at the picture before I leave: it's still the same artwork. Good. Oh, I shouldn't take the towel with me either; I place it back on the hook.

Once I exit the bathroom, I'm all alone. Not a sound in the room. Dr. Buck is still dormant on the sofa. No Martha, thank goodness. Where is Zera?

Something furry rubs against my foot. Looking down, it's a small fennec fox with its beady eyes peering up at me, silver lips, and nestled in a bundle of clothes. A closer inspection reveals a torn tuxedo.

I almost stop breathing for a moment. "...Zera?"

The fennec's giant ears fold back and it putters a shrilly noise from its frame.

* * *

_Planning for a darker, creepier Chapter 8._ _The tables are turning~_


	8. Be our Guest and Get us Out of Here

_Thought I was going for a creepy chapter 8 but it didn't go that way. It will, though. I love the inanimate objects._

* * *

This couldn't be Zera; the fennec fox is rubbing on my leg and pining for my attention. Zera is strong and independent and hasn't shown any signs of needing affection. I really hope this isn't her, but there are too many red flags: the similar clothes on the floor, the silver around her lips, and even cuts on the skin.

She's pathetically cute, pawing onto me and wanting me to hold her in my arms. I can't resist a loving animal.

As I hold her close to my face, she nuzzles into my neck and flicks her stubbly tail. I don't get a chance to hug others this intimately so it's a pleasant feeling. Her fur is a little coarse and unkempt, but if this is what she desires from me, I will gladly give it to her. I'm not the most affectionate of my brothers, but Sensei has taught us to show compassion in times of need. But I'm embarrassed to say that I don't exercise that lesson very often. I've given April and Mikey hugs, mostly; the biggest complaint from them is that I give stiff embraces.

I'm a soldier, not an admirer.

I give her a gentle pat on her tiny head and peck it with my lips. Klunk never lets me get this close, not since he was a kitten.

"It's Underlight outside, Zera," my voice is quiet and concerned, "and I should find Dr. Buck. I don't know how to turn you back."

She nuzzles me more; I hold her closer. "You made it sound like I shouldn't go outside after the light dies. I have to, though. I have to get home."

No movement or sound.

"I _want_ to go home."

I notice she's getting some of the silver liquid from her muzzle onto my neck; it tingles and then feels like it's crawling in a small circle on my skin. Very unnerving. I turn back to the bathroom, shuffle inside, and use the once-pink-now-brown towel to wipe the liquid off us. Just when I had cleaned myself off, too. Typical.

Zera fights my attempt, and I'm clicking my tongue like Sensei used to do to us (correction: _still_ does), and she adamantly struggles. I eventually conclude that a little glob on her won't hurt, and I don't want to risk getting bitten and having to put her down on the floor. When our Bathroom Battle ends, I poke around the den for a small satchel to place her clothes and various other protective objects. Good thing I still have the dagger on me. Maybe I can investigate the previous rooms before moving onwards?

The entrance back to the front door is completely sealed by what appears to be a wide dungeon door. I guess that answers my question.

Impatient Zera leaps out of my arms and runs to a grandfather clock. She taps it with her paw and squeaks at me.

"Something behind there?" I stare at her.

Her tipping ears and frustrated bounce perform a resounding yes. The clock is bulky and heavy, but it scraps across the floor easily enough. There's a gateway behind it, faintly lighted but my eyes can detect a few objects: a set of iron fire-tools, an old-style pink diamond-studded telephone box, a small dream-catcher, a croquet mallet, a fancy silver satchel, and a pointy multi-colored object. Zera feels the need to sniff at the pointy object and that prompts me to pick it up.

"It's a lantern, Zera." I turn it over and fully inspect it. "Shaped like the Moroccan star. Have you ever seen that?"

She chews on the dream-catcher and tries to drag it out of the closet.

I stop and help her. "Wait, wait. Don't tear it up. Stop, please."

_Hiss, hiss_ bleeps from her little throat, and while I like to avoid her sharp teeth, I carefully lift the catcher because I want to keep it intact. I bap her on the head and shake my finger at her. "Zera, I need everything I can get my hands on. Please don't tear anything up or you're going in the bag."

I think she just huffs and sits outside the closet. I'm glad we communicate well.

As soon as the items are taken from the closet, a thin clawed hand shoves me out of it and the clock slams back against the wall. I trip over Zera and my treasures scatter all on the floor. Caught me off guard!

"Are you okay, Zera?"

She nibbles her butt and scratches her ear. Blankly stares at me after that.

I get to my feet, a little embarrassed. "Yeah. Good to know."

I can barely see in the room now. Moonlight, or something like moonlight, is filtering through the window and casting odd shadows in the room. At first, they're just wiggling in one spot, but suddenly it's a full night club scene on the walls. It's distracting and really obscene. I do my very best to ignore them and claim back my objects. I find the tools, satchel, and lantern. Zera's squeaks indicate she's crawling under the sofa... and stuck. I just see a little tail furiously flicking and legs wobbling.

"Zera, hang on. I'll help you." I lift the sofa, and she delicately retrieves the dream-catcher, probably remembering my instructions from earlier. "Good girl." I pet her head and place the dream-catcher in the satchel.

"There's one more, but I can't remember what it was. Do you remember, Zera?"

One tiny squeak and a clueless look from her fuzzy face.

"Brring, brring!"

Is that a telephone?

"BRRING, BRRING!"

It sounds like a person imitating a telephone, actually. Agitated, too.

"I'm RINGING! PICK ME UP!"

I look down at Zera. "That voice sounds AWFULLY familiar to me. I'm getting a sinking feeling here."

"Follow the sound of my ring. BRRRING! BR-Ring!"

Zera and I hunt around the room for the hidden voice, and soon I have a sneaking suspicion it's coming from the bathroom. I turn on the light, although I don't remember turning it off, and there's nobody in the room.

"Look down, Einstein," whoever dryly advised. I'm almost tempted to forget the search and rescue and move along; I have plenty of things I could be doing than listening to sarcasm.

Zera zooms between my legs and sniffs at something on the floor. The pink old-style telephone in all of its tackiness, feminine glory seems to be our victim.

"Hey, Cutie. That tickles!" the PHONE says to Zera's manic scrutiny; she taps it and jerks it back like a kitten playing with ice. "I'm going to eat that paw and then tickle your belly!" Followed by crazy laughter.

"Mikey?" I say it so quickly that I don't have time to put the words back in my own mouth. Why did I say that? It's an inanimate object, not my fully grown turtle brother.

"That sounds like a nice name. I'll take it! I've never had a name before."

Zera backs up to my feet and almost leaps out of her fur. I bend down to the floor and set "Mikey" the rosy telephone on its stand. "I apologize. You act very much like my brother Mikey."

"What about us?"

"Mikey? What kind of name is that? Sounds like an itch."

"I hope I get a cooler name."

"Put me back in the closet. I feel some weird shit here."

"Most intriguing. I'll have to consult the Orphic Vampire Squid about this matter."

Every object from the closet is speaking to me. I bring the mallet closer to my face and twirl it around a good bit. This is straight out of a kids' movie: talking inanimate objects. They don't have facial expressions or anything; they just talk in my head, I gather.

"Zera, can you hear these voices, too?"

She's not at my feet anymore and is sitting at the bathroom entrance, like a loyal pet. I nod to her, prompting her to answer me in some form or fashion.

Confusingly cocks her head at me. Naturally.

"Dude, I don't think she can," the mallet snaps. "What's my name? Come on, Froggy. I'm itching to bust someone's skull in two!"

Definitely a Raphael until the mallet said, "Are you a frog or a lizard? I can never tell the two apart."

"Hello, Casey Jones." I nod to the mallet.

Next, the two fire-tools. I need to put one back because I already have a load to carry and no extra set of hands anymore. "Hello, Fire-Tool. How are you?"

"Excellent today, thank you. I'm very happy you rescued us from that boring closet. I need some adventure and stimulation."

"Donatello. Definitely." I smile at it and join it with Casey the croquet mallet. "Zera, who is next?"

"Don't ask that mangy animal. Just get on with it!" a bark came from the satchel. Now, that sounds like a Raphael. I pull out the Moroccan star-shaped lantern. "Admire me later. Let's bust this joint. I was going stir-crazy in there!"

"Raphael, my guiding light. I might be in trouble," I tease and bend to get the phone off the floor.

"What does that mean? Raphael? Isn't that an angel's name? Do I look like I have wings and a halo to you?"

Mikey the phone quipped, "Someone needs their morning coffee!"

I promise you that I did NOT clink the lantern against the phone. Did it on its own! The phone went quiet after the little tussle.

"I'm a vintage purse, you know! Better than all of these manly chumps. Surely you wouldn't forget to greet a lady."

I pat the pretty satchel. "I would never forget the loveliest woman I've ever met, April. Not a wrinkle or ugly fold in sight."

Zera squeaks and is running around in a circle. I'm sure there's one more object I'm forgetting.

And it speaks up. "I'm sure you have a metaphoric name for this old dream-weaver here, like the wind speaking to the forest or the ocean's whisper."

I smile and retrieve it from the satchel. "Probably not that cool, but you have the name of the most influential person to me. Splinter. Master Splinter." I bend back down to the whirling Zera and ask her to stop for a moment. "I have a feeling that I need you to protect my friend here, Splinter. She is important to me as any of you are. I'm a foreigner to this world and need all the help I can get."

There's a tiny, silky string woven into the object and I use it to tie the dream catcher around Zera's neck. It's a little bigger than she is so it has to drap over her back but it works. "Keep it on, Zera. Very important that it stays on you."

Splinter the dream-catcher replies, "She will be safe under my guard. Thank you for this opportunity." Zera responds by nibbling and scratching at it.

Now that I have my fuzzy and inanimate troops gathered, I can go forward in this journey and find a way to break this maze.


	9. Black Dream Hole

I am carrying a variety of items on my person: a croquet mallet, a Moroccan star-shaped lantern, a fancy silver satchel, a fire-tool, a pink retro telephone, and Zera is carrying a dream-catcher. All of the objects remind me of my zany, loving family.

"Dude, the skeleton on your back is giving me the willies," Mikey the telephone mumbles from the satchel.

Yes, I'm carrying Dr. Buck as well. I need his spirit to fly back into the cadaver, but I'm sure I have to find Martha first. It was Raphael the lantern and Donatello the Fire-Tool who had suggested I pick up Dr. Buck's skeleton and bring him with us. Just as smart as my real family; I'm glad I have them on my side.

"Zera, please don't get under my feet," I softly ask down at her small, furry body. My answer is a tail swhish and a hiss from her. "If I step on you, I'll hurt you and I have all of these items on me. Put your ears down and stop hissing at me."

The next two rooms resemble more of a warehouse and then Sensei's room from the Lair. The warehouse area has 1980s home décor and graffit that read along the lines of '_your existence gives me diarrhea_'. Pleasant, I see.

Casey the mallet crows, "They added this room last year. Something about the mistress of the plantation liking hair bands."

"More precisely," Dream-catcher Splinter warmly adds to the story, "the first born son was an idiot and misunderstood his mother; she had, in fact, said _wide lands_. She grew to like it, however. I think it looks rather tacky."

April the purse has a complaint. "Could you scratch my bottom left? I can't reach it." It feels awkward to scratch anything remotely related to a woman's 'bottom'.

Sensei's Lair resembles the actual lair except there is a window to the North and sand dunes beyond it. "I want to go sand surfing! Did you know there are people who participate in volcano boarding?" Donatello the Fire-Tool almost leaps out of my grasp, and I'm fumbling a little to get him steady; I always knew Donny had a wild streak.

Zera has a sneezing attack, and we all stop to watch her. I compare it to tossing a cotton-ball into a windstorm. She looks at me when she's finally finished. Or thinks she is. One last sneeze escapes her.

"Better?" I smile. She hunches and shyly rejoins us. It's hard not to just watch her sniff the floor and flap her ears at feeble sounds.

Passing through the third room's corridor, one can see the back door and beyond it, but it's the only light in this new room. "Zera, stay close." She has a habit of wondering off and then squeaking at me to find her in the darkest corner possible.

She does, anyways. Squeaks from my far right. The light from the back door moves further away from us, snatching our only way to escape and possibly find answers. "Zera!" Her squeaks and shrills fade from my hearing, and the darkness is closing in on us.

"ZERA!"

Nothing.

"Speak!" Desperately, I call for the others and balance the skeleton on my shell. It's like I can't grip or hold anything. Slipping, like the light that is completely gone now.

"SPEAK TO ME!"

My voice ricochets in this pipe of obscurity. There is still weight on my arms and back. Are they still here? Have they disappeared like Zera?

"Guys..."

So much emptiness. I walk but there is no foundation. Am I drifting through space? Where is everyone? What kind of spell am I under now? Singing trees, flying walruses, purses that talk, and skeletons who practice psychiatry. Nothing has made sense to me since the flesh-eating mermaid. What is the true shape of this oil painting? Ideas, voices, thoughts, and emotions bleed together. Every time I believe I have wrestled control, my hands remain empty, and I swallow hard.

Where are you? All of you? My real family and friends with their faces full of smiles and curiosity. I've always joked that you're not much but you're all I've got. I've dreamed of climbing mountains and gliding in the halls of Enlightened Men, immersing in fogs of knowledge and philosophy. To become a better leader and teacher. To become a better person.

But, I'm a brother and a son first. I forget this. I forget how much you all mean to me, and that, like now, how no mountain or hall of testament can fill the valley you have created. Why do I bind myself so tightly to you but at the first chance I see, I escape?

The sound vacuum abounds, and my thoughts are hushed. Nowhere. No one. Nothing.

My extinction? …

….. To have perished without spilling my blood. A lonely man's death.

* * *

I might have shut my eyes and slumbered. I can't tell. It's all the same. How long have I been dozing? Perhaps just minutes but it's felt like hours. Just floating here, touching the air, is disheartening. No light of any kind or even directionless echoes. Ebony memories. Sometimes I twitch and feel like I'm falling. Anxiety, that I usually shove back with iron knuckles, crawls through my muscles and catches my throat. I can't even speak now. Words dance on my tongue but can't fight through my teeth.

Sealed completely shut in this land of Uncertainty.

"_The valley is nice this time of year."_

An echo?

"_What do you mean we're not much?"_

…...hello?

"_You speak of no blood spilled. What stories do your scars tell?"_

Sensei?

"_I look up to you."_

You do?

"_You fight like a cougar with its eyes on fire!"_

Rabbit down the hole...

"_If I could choose anyone to protect my back, that person would be you."_

…..A fox on the other side. A weak source of light pulsates down by my side.

"_Don't go where I can't follow."_

As the fading light burns brighter, the answer is clear: I'm not going anywhere but Home!

* * *

Zera has a sneezing attack, and we all stop to watch her. I compare it to tossing a cotton-ball into a windstorm. She looks at me when she's finally finished. Or thinks she is. One last sneeze.

"Better?" I smile. She hunches and shyly rejoins us. It's hard not to just watch her sniff the floor and flap her ears at feeble sounds.

Major deja vu. We leave Sensei's room and approach a third one. An outside light dimly shines over a back porch area, and, instinctively, I peer around the room, resembling the inside of a tent with walls flapping and wind zooms, and down at Zera. "Stay close."

She actually listens to me and with no cute, shrilly retorts.

"Straight through the door now," Mallet Casey rolls without a hitch. "Come on! Just a few little steps! Maybe I'll knock someone out!"

"Throw him in the nearest pond," bellows Raph, dimming his glow, "and bury him deep under the floor where even scum-suckers can't find him."

While the winds cane through the interior, humming noises through my head, I stroll through the room and find it harder to concentrate. It feels like I've been asleep and jolted awake. My Mirror Family rattles and jokes with each other, but I'm focused on getting out the back door. It's no longer Underlight outside, either. I have no idea how long a day or night is in this world.

The aroma hits me as soon as I step on the porch: buttery, heavenly. It reminds me that I haven't eaten since the airborne cake incident. I have no time to eat but the smell is divine.

The landscape is lush, green, and trimmed to perfection with gorgeous dots of flowers, white picket fences, and benches to admire the scenery.

It's certainly a nice change, but I must still be on guard.

April sounds excited, too. "If I had legs, I would sunbathe like crazy outside! Look at that sky!"

"Beautiful," Splinter comments and chuckles as Zera tries to scratch at him. "Perhaps I will be off your body soon enough, Lady Zera."

Voices reach my ears, and turning to my left, there are three people sitting at a long table layered with full course meals. I long to grab an apple off it and taste its sweetness. The three people at the table are eye-catching, however: a middle-aged Asian gentleman, a guy in a bandanna and eye-patch, and a huge silver grizzly bear.

Seated on my side of the table, far end, the Asian gentleman knows his table manners. The eye-patch guy looks like he hasn't seen a bath in a few days, but he seems to smile a lot and respond with "arr". A pirate, of course! Like out of a movie. The silver bear is the host and pouring liquid into pitchers.

"That skeleton must be a burden!" asserts the Bear to me, speaking eloquently and keeping his composure. "We would love to have you as a guest for tea. Please join us."

"I like me pickles," Pirate spits and chomps on his favorite food. The drool on his chin isn't entirely hygienic.

Gentleman delicately taps his mouth with a napkin. "You can sit by me. Please leave enough space between us. I'm feeding my porcupine."

He's right. I almost step on his pet. I ask my Mirror Family to calmly wait for my return, and Dr. Buck is placed beside me. His hat keeps drooping to the side, and I finally just let it fall after many attempts to keep it on his head.

"Interesting artifact there," Gentleman chews on a piece of lettuce. "Are you an avid cadaver collector? I know a posh fellow across the river who can network you to an island of people."

"Dirty Marty!" Bear screams and slaps Pirate's hand, or I think it's his hand. It looks like a... burger. "Get your maggots off the table!"

"No love for a sea-faring man and his battle wound!" Dirty Marty held up his burger hand. "I fell in love with a big fish and she had a nice set of shiny teeth."

Visibly annoyed, Gentleman sighs and pushes his plate forward. "I can't eat with all of this commotion. I have a business meeting in two hours and I have to find a caterer and photographer for my daughter's Twenty-Fifth and a Half Party." He scoots his plate back closer to him and continues, "The caterers are always busy with their side ventures. It's so difficult to find an available one and then arrange..."

While he's chattering away about caterers and their moonlighting jobs as hitmen and snorkelers, I get a sharp feeling that something, or someone, is watching me. I peer around the table; no one is looking in my direction, but I can't shake it. Suddenly, I feel a light brush against my ankle, and when I raise the tablecloth, a pair of tiny black orbs are twinkling at me. I mouth "hi" to her and Zera sniffs at my knees and then crouches so she can leap on me. I give her enough room to do so, and she's in my lap before I can blink.

I'm thinking that she wants to be around me, but her nose vacuums the table and she delicately snatches a cookie. Nibbles on it and spreads crumbs all over me. I don't mind.

"Speaking of pickles," drums the Bear and takes his seat at the head of the table, "I see that your perky furry friend has fallen under Ms. Martha's curse."

I snap to attention. "Do you know how to break it?"

"How soon you forget your acquaintances." A grin stretches across his large muzzle. Dirty Marty flips a coin in the air and it taps Gentleman on the head.

Zera squeaks and steals another cookie while my heart skips a turn. "Dr. Buck?" I casually glance at his old skeleton beside me before turning back to his new form. "You're a bear now?"

"I think silver is a nice look on me."

"Indeed, it is."

"And I can cook easier in this body. The fur catches on fire, but nothing a little dunk in the river won't clear up."

Gentleman shatters the pleasant moment by poking Pirate in the head with a golden rod. What I think is going to be a fight changes into Dirty Marty and Gentleman breaking into maniacal laughter. Extremely unnerving and pretty pointless. Inside joke, I realize.

Dr. Buck the Bear chuckles along with the two and sips from his pitcher. "Martha's spell is harmless. Simply learn the Hedgecock Incantation and your friend will be back to normal."

I know better than to think anything is simple in this world. "The Incantation takes how long to learn, my knowledgeable acquaintance?"

Flapping open a pink newspaper, Bear answers like I've asked what he's reading. "Ten years, give or take. Take more if you're slow like Dirty Marty and you have a rock for a brain."

Right on cue, Dirty Marty flashes all of his wooden teeth at me. Zera flies off my lap and disappears under the table. Dirty Marty croaks, "That big fish, arr! She be a nympho mermaid. Many a sailor want to rattle her fin. Watch out for her teeth! She ate me hand and then threw it back at me."

Gentleman sniffs his drink. "Where did you get the cheeseburger replacement? Out of CorkFoot, down by Eight Groves?"

"Me cousin owns a cafe. He owes me from saving his tail from the Lucs."

During their conversation, I search for Zera, but I don't want to leave the table. The pirate's talk of a mermaid with teeth captures my attention and I stand up immediately! "Mermaid with teeth? Where did you meet her?"

Dirty Marty's eyes overcast with deception. "For a small fee, I can happily tells ya. But you might want to gets some protective clothing or your nads will end up in her throat."

Bear mumbles, "Oh my," just as numerous little splashes sound from the distance. Before the party hosts can stand from their seats, I'm already in front of the tiny pond and glancing down at a normal-sized, drenched Zera … with a goldfish thrashing out of her mouth.


	10. The Mad Zera

Goldfish tastes like candy, which I like very much.

Water? I'm not incredibly fond of because it mats my fur and I smell like day old garbage.

"Zera!" the Ymoh calls for me. I like him. He's very pleasant and protects me when I'm infrequently vulnerable. I might share this goldfish with him, if he chooses. At the moment, he seems preoccupied with helping me out of the pond. I don't know what controlled me to fall into the water as a normal fox!

My hand slides into his, and I stumble as he pulls me out of the water. I'm completely drenched and so cold that my teeth chatter. I don't mind my teeth doing that, but my tail frizzes and ears stand on my head. I dislike my giant antennas.

Even Ymoh's warm smile can't save him from the crime of poking my ears. I waste a good goldfish by tapping his forehead with it.

"I killed it." Disastrous for me, and I toss it back into the pond, giving it a soft prayer for its journey to the Other Side and its forgiveness.

Ymoh hasn't released my hand. He's oddly affectionate for someone who is not my Familiar. I won't complain; it's nice to have a friend and one that isn't afraid to touch wet fur. He nods at me, "That's why you don't smack people with something tiny like a goldfish. Bad Zera."

He is not winning any points here. "I'm not a small fox anymore! Don't discipline me like one!"

"Right. Sorry," he chuckles and quickly releases my hand once he realizes he hasn't let go of it. "Are you okay now?"

I unhook the dream-catcher from my neck as it's nearly choking me. "Yes. Just damp. I'll need to find the nearest Whale-Lamp before I reek like dog's butt."

Clearly, I don't know what possessed the Ymoh to laugh like he did, but he carefully leans on a nearby fence to keep his balance. Dog Butt. What is so funny about that? It's nasty! "What is your problem, Ymoh? Dog rectum is one of the most disgusting things to smell, just a short distance from turtle."

His gray eyes sharpen and all laughter ceases. He hasn't looked that serious since he arrived. "Turtle? So you're saying I smell?"

"What are you saying?" I squeeze the water out of my ears and shake my head. "You haven't done anything to warrant such an insult, Ymoh."

"Ymoh," he mumbles and steps closer, almost intimidating me, and that is hard to do. "What does Ymoh mean here? You never told me, Zera."

A fork clinks at the table. I know those little dinner party people are watching us now. I can feel their nosy eyes on me and would kindly like for them not to stare at us.

"Zera?" his quiet voice striking my thoughts. Reminding me that I need to answer him, but I can't take all the staring and judging. What is everyone's malfunction? I will have none of it!

I step back and bury my heels into the ground. "You are of sound mind and body, immigrant! Are your eyes deceiving you?" But then I ceased speaking, as quick as the droplets strokes the ground, especially as his stare is chilling me, and I come to a startling revelation: how quickly I have forgotten what this world does to the mind.

"I will not have any of this!" speaks a dinner party member, dressed nicely but holds an air of importance that I don't particularly like. He snatches my other hand and licks it! "My furry madam, I shall rid you of your burdens. Then you may accompany me to my daughter's party. You would look simply dashing next to me."

The Ymoh and I glare at the Yutz until he feels as small as a pea.

He casually quips, "I'll provide the dress and Whale-Lamp for you."

I do what any self-respecting woman does, and I rattle all of the excess water off my fur onto him. Unfortunately, it strikes the Ymoh too, but he doesn't mind and even _leaves_ me with the Yutz! I pay no attention to the guy nattering away and watch the Ymoh confront another party member: a very unhygienic and nervous guy.

"Excuse me, but you talked about a mermaid earlier. Where can I find her?"

Dirty guy stammers, "Near the Lucaracs' nest, off to the far seas, my boy. Do you treasure ye nads?"

"I do, but I want to go home, and she's my ticket out of here." Ymoh cautiously looks at me and then back at the Dirty guy. "Just point me in the right direction and I'll be on my way. I won't disturb your dinner party anymore."

Before I can blitz a word in, the Yutz interrupts with his brilliant plan, "I'll give you everything you need, Boy. A boat, a net, even a fishing pole."

"And nad protector, too," Dirty one chimes and nods like it's highly important. What is his obsession with nads? Did he lose his?

"Yes, even that," Yutz sneers and twiddles his thumbs. "Everything you _need_." His last words struck an odd feeling in me.

"In exchange for?" Ymoh isn't one to be fooled. It's difficult ripping my sight from him because I never know what to expect. I like challenges.

The Yutz didn't answer for a moment, and I found out why soon enough: he's pointing at me. _Me_!

"I'm not on the market! I'm a part of his team, worm!" I wish I had a rock hammer in my hands right now.

"We're going to a fabulous party! Just for one night!" he cries and straightens his fancy tie. "If it goes further, I won't complain. I'm into your type. If you know what I mean." Wink, creepy wink.

His questionable manner suddenly reminds me that I'm naked as a newborn, and I didn't want to give him further pleasure. My nipples are on end, and I gasp to think at what he's wanting to do to them. Slimy Yutzy weasel in a suit and slick hair! While everyone's gears are turning about that knucklehead's offer, I rip the frilly cloth directly off the table and tie it around my damp body. The Bear hands me a rope.

Much better! I have the appearance of a hag, but I don't feel as violated.

"Scum!" I hiss and courageously snatch a fire-tool from the Ymoh's old seat. "I'll cut off your nads and feed it to -" I catch a glimpse of Dirty one and he grins with all seven of his teeth at me, "-I'll serve it as an appetizer at this table! Now, take back your words! NOBODY owns me!"

All eyes are glued on me. I feel like a right fool the longer nobody speaks!

"You understand?"

Ymoh is smirking. _Smirking_! I'm delighted he finds this situation humorous!

"They say that girls with long ears are a mighty fine mess, yar," Dirty Toothless recants with a twinkle in his scabby eye, "No matter what they do, ye can't stay mad at them, and I like to think ye can hold their ears during a wet tussle!"

He and the Yutz fall into themselves laughing, and I would expect it from scum like them. Bear and Ymoh shake their heads and sigh, like watching over a daycare. My final nerve snaps at that moment, and I scurry on the table and thrust the fire-tool into everyone's dinner plates, slam every pot and silverware into the next garden, toss food into the air, and prove to them that the myth about girls with long ears is true except they're not touching mine and I'll happily chop off all of their body parts. They want a mighty fine mess, and they got one.

They bloody got one!

"Zera!" I can barely hear Ymoh's calls as my destruction continues. Red, red everywhere. Red mixed with the many colors of food and purple cutlery. Who could eat this rubbish! I want one of the baboons to stop me, to lay one hand on me, and then I have a reason to go completely mad and grind all of them to pieces. Screaming voices all around me. Arms flailing, bouncing cloth from the leaps, and I'm feeling elevated. I'm feeling GREAT. Rushed, excited, and –!

SNAP.

And one painful thud to my skull.

* * *

Humming, like a soft tune, brought me back to consciousness. When I lift my eyes, the Dirty one peers dead on me, and I gasp with fright. Ymoh politely moves him out of my view and smiles at me. What a nice face he has. I wonder if he ever worries about blemishes.

"That crazy fox! Get her out of here!" Sounds like Yutz. "I'm late and it's all her fault! I should whip her with my floss! I just got the piano wire flavor last week."

"Arr, Lady Fox inhaled a bit of that mercury on ye tablecloth, Bucky," Dirty's voice booms from my right. "Explains why she went crazy when she wore it." He bonds his soiled face into mine and whispers, "Fine show, lady. Didn't mean to hurt ye about ye ears and all, but if ye ever want to make a little extra cash, I can point ye to a wee bar in Corkfoot."

Who I assume is the Bucky the Bear grabs the lug by the head and tosses him aside. "Enough of this foolishness. The party is ruined and we have a lady down on the ground. Marty, start cleaning!"

Ymoh's fingers press on my forehead; softly, he speaks, "How are you?"

His gentleness almost scares me, too. "Coherent. Embarrassed, but I'll live. What happened? Did someone hit me?"

"No, no," Ymoh chuckles, "The table snapped in half and you went down head first. We all sort of... stood there as your legs hung up in the air. Forgive me. I acted foolish."

I should be mad, but I can't be. Not with those eyes and his pleasant face. I'm really warming up to him. At first I thought he was a yutz, too, and running around naked and stupid. He proved to be a brave soul and smart as a whip. As many times as I wanted to abandon him, I couldn't. I just couldn't find the heart to let him go.

To ease his worries, I smile back. "I bet that was a funny sight. I was the daft one and deserved a knock on my head. Thank you for not abandoning me."

His gaze never leaves me and I wonder if I have a nasty cut on my face or if I truly smell like turtle now.

"Oh!" My legs twitch at remembering turtle. "Ymoh means human here since you asked earlier."

I think his eyes are about to drop on my face. I suppose he wasn't expecting that answer.


	11. Human Again

I'm a human, she says. In this world. A _human_.

And I've been running around naked!

I can't put on the tablecloth because it makes you go looney. Who puts mercury in a tablecloth? Only Dr. Buck and this shotgun-riding world would.

I barely get Zera to her feet before I'm panicking about my public nudity. All this time! I'm so ashamed!

"Bucky, do you have clothes we could borrow?" requests Zera as she defiantly stands in front of the Bear. He doesn't look happy about her calling him Bucky, but I only think she's mimicking Dirty Marty.

"As soon as you help Marty clean the mess YOU made," he growls and slams a garbage bag in her grip. She says nothing and bends over, retrieving pieces of pottery. I really have more important things on my mind than to look at her toosh. It's old news now. Too bad I'm unable to steal Dr. Buck or Marty's attentions, however. Very frustrating.

The only thing I can do is help with the after-party disaster. I find cutlery as far as the pond and IN the pond as well. It's a sad day when a great warrior such as myself is fishing a teapot out of the mud. Dirty Marty's stories of the high sea and his part time job as a porcupine juggler made the time slip by a little faster. I avoided Zera, and I believe she did the same to me. Marty made the mistake of trying to reach for her backside and when she retrieved the Fire-tool and threatened to juggle his intestines with it, he went back to just pining for her. I don't understand everybody being so hormonal. There's more to life than sex.

Strangely, I'm feeling homesick again. Seeing the others threaten, laugh, and boss around makes me think of my family. After I drop a load of broken plates into a dancing trash can (good thing I have quick reflexes), I round up my Mirror Family tools and have a small conversation with them.

"I guess I want to make sure you're all okay." I can hear the sadness in my own voice. It's not my intention, but it's the way I feel.

"Some food got on me, but nothing serious. We were all far from the madness!" April the purse chirps. When I hear her voice, I know everything will be fine. Like magic.

I wipe a bit of unknown substance and origin from her pocket. "I'm not certain of this universe and how it works. When I looked in the mirror, I saw myself. As me, the mutant turtle. It's not the greatest thing to be in my world, but I've come to terms with who I am and why I was bred molded this way."

Further down the table, Zera and Dr. Buck quietly discuss taxes.

April doesn't answer, but I proceed, "Now I'm what my brothers wish to be. Nobody has said anything, but I'm..." I look down at myself and it's perfectly clear to me now. "Human naked, and that's a little obscene."

"Reach inside me and pull out whatever you want," April meticulously instructs. "I have a full wardrobe and every style line your heart could wish for, Cowboy."

"She called you cowboy!" Mikey's screechy voice blares from the purse. "I see a whole bunch of cool stuff in here! Including hats, rhinestones, and spurs if you dig that."

"I'll politely skip that line. I remember the last time we dressed up as cowboys and Indians, Mikey, and it didn't go down well at all." Listen to me. Talking to a telephone like it's my real brother. I think I'm finally going bonkers.

I grab a half-broken plate and cover myself while I approach Zera. She helps Dr. Buck replace the tablecloth and is fuming, probably about the taxes discussion. When I call for her, she softens and scampers over to me. I know she's hoping I'll take her away from her cleaning duties. I've seen that look many, many times.

"I'm not usually in the position of skirting off chores, but I really need to get some clothing and I have a plan. Do you want to come with me?"

She fixes her eyes on my dinner plate. "They eat off that, yeah?"

"I'll throw it away. Are you coming with me or not?"

She nods and we slip away further down the table. I toss the plate in the trash can without looking and eagerly open the purse.

"Cool! You made it!" Zera shouts and I motion for her to jump into the purse. I follow close behind, and we leave the crazy dinner party from the Netherworld behind us.

* * *

Landing in a pile full of clothes has been one of the easiest problems in my crime-fighting career. Fighting a teenage robot girl obsessed over her wardrobe is not.

"We mean no harm!" I plead while dodging eye lasers, tampon missiles, pad bombs, avoiding bras and lingerie, and wondering where Zera went. I really hope I can find some male-worthy clothes in this place or I'll just continue blessing the countryside with my buttocks and, as Mikey calls them, "goodies". There's nothing _good_ about a missile bee-lining for your reproductive package! Luckily, they all dissolve into some powdery substance instead of a ball of fire.

Barely escaping with everything in-tact, I zip through the place and seize a creamy bra and a black dress for Zera. Might as well kill two birds with one stone! The last thing to do is shut down that robot girl, and as the tenth tampon missile screams for me, I bounce off the jelly-like walls and head straight back to her. I jump on her chrome head avoiding the lasers, but I forgot how sensitive my groin area is now and hastily change my plan. A swift kick to her stomach area put her out of commission and me with my dignity.

While I have a moment to breathe, I realize that tampon missiles is a new one, and I laugh at my misfortune. Wipe a little powder dust off me and my feet and I'm all dandy.

"I'm sorry," I bow and tap her on the head, "I really need these and you were in my way. I will bring them back as soon as I can." She has a name-tag imprinted on her chest. "Again, I apologize. Santa."

A little twitching and electrics fizzling aside, Santa is fine. I think she even mumbled something as I walk away.

"Zera!" My voice echoes down a long, silvery corridor. So many doors to choose on my left and right. This won't make searching for Zera easy at all. Why didn't she wait for me? Maybe she was kidnapped? I have my doubts about that theory, but as Don says: unlikely but possible.

A door creaks open, recoiling its echoes against the walls and gives me a little shudder. What's going to appear? A giant tap-dancing lobster or a cactus who is late for its high school reunion? I jolt from the paranoia and stand guard.

Sandy fur, slender legs, and a fluffy tail emerges. Relief.

"Ymoh!" Alarmed, but she seems fine. She glides down the corridor and immediately notices the bra and dress. "For me?"

"Definitely for you."

"You didn't find anything to wear?"

"I didn't have that much time to browse. Did you see the robot girl in there?"

Zera studies the bra and places it over her chest. It's the first time I can actually look at her chest without feeling like a pervert. "It looks nice on you." I lean closer to her face so that she will get the hint to acknowledge me. "Robot girl?"

"Oh!" Her ears flutter. "Santa! She was really nice. What happened between the two of you? Did you say something to make her mad?"

I almost feel offended but swallow the rebuttal. "Apparently she doesn't get a lot of male customers, or she winds up burying them in her jelly walls. I had missiles and bombs launched at me."

Zera snaps the bra in her front and slides it around her back. "It's good that you're safe. I don't see a scratch on you." She takes the dress, steps in it, and pulls it up her body. "I wouldn't expect anything less from you, Ymoh."

"Stop calling me that. Call me by my name." I stand proud but realize, AGAIN, that I'm human-naked and I have nothing to shield her from my genitals. She doesn't seem bothered by it so I let it go. Just let it all hang out. It's certainly not the weirdest thing to see in this universe. "Leonardo. I want to be called by my name."

She's not buying it. "What is your last name?"

"Hamato."

"I shall call you Hamato."

"I accept." I bow to her, and she pats me on the head. "No, you return the bow. Like this."

As soon as she mimics me, I pat her back on the head. For a tiny moment, I missed her being a normal fox.

"Let's choose a door, Ym- Hamato," she vents and twirls away in the black dress. It looks _really_ dashing on her, bringing out her natural curves and physique and lights up her eyes and contrasts well with her fur.

"Just one thing, Hamato."

The dress might be a little too long for her, but I like long dresses. Nothing too skin tight and trashy. This definitely looks better on her than the tuxedo dress from earlier.

"Hamato?"

I float back to Wonderland. "Yes?"

"You forgot my underwear. I should steer away from air vents and perverted men."

A retort bubbles on my lips, but she winks at me and opens a door. It wouldn't be great timing if a gust of wind didn't charge out of the door and send her dress in all directions. Too busy chuckling at her misfortune, I almost didn't hear Santa charging behind me, holding out pantyhose and, I'm guessing, wanting to choke with me it. I waste no time and push Zera into the windy door for our dramatic escape!

* * *

…...And it spits us out like sour milk and bolts itself shut. I didn't even have time to blink!

Santa's buzzing and fizzing zips me back to the problem, and I scout for another door that hopefully won't be too picky. All of them are locked!

I'm halfway down the hall when I hear two voices conversing.

"Dress is perfect. He has good eye," Santa's robotic tone is almost indistinct blended with the echo. "Why did he kick me?"

Zera dusts herself. "He said you attacked him."

"Santa thought he was naugh-ty. Naked and troublemak-er. No toys for bad boys."

"He's not a bad boy, but I agree that he is naked. It bothers him a lot. Would you mind showing us your full line of men's wear?"

_Pop, buzz, rattle_. Santa shakily turns back to her headquarters. "Would love to. This way."

…..Of course, it would be that easy. Why didn't I just _ask_ her to show me a full line of men's wear while she blasted off my right arm and crippled me? Zera is giving me one of those 'get your stuff together and follow us' looks.

When I catch up with her, I set the facts straight. "I defended myself, Zera. She didn't give me time to get my thoughts in order before launching assault strikes. I am not ashamed!"

She's perturbed, I can tell. "Did you have to kick her so hard? You should be a gentleman and repair her as payment."

"I know very little in the way of mechanical skills. You have the wrong Hamato."

"Then learn!" she hisses at me.

And I did something I thought I would never do in a million years. "You're going to help, Dumbo!" I yank on one of her ears and disappear before she can murder me. My beautiful, spontaneous Mikey moment.

While Santa drones about her collection and the history of clothes, I conveniently hide in the boxers section. Zera is running mad through the place, pushing racks against the wall, flinging hats high in the air, and trying to sniff for me. Good thing I'm not my normal turtle self or she would know where I am right away!

"Over here, new line of luxuri-ous men's bell-bottoms..."

She'll never find a ninja! I whip around the massive warehouse and snatch the first clothing article that catches my eye. I even sneak behind Zera at one point and steal a pair of women's underwear for her. I hope she likes little pink frilly squids.

Santa beeps. "Maybe you like grunge look? On this w-all. Large line of anarchists' appa-rel."

I'm all dressed in casual wear, mostly black and blue, and – oh! Shoes. Boots, to be exact. I need a good stomping boot when I shove it into the mermaid's mouth and force her to take me home and preferably before she goes deep sea "_fishing_" on me. I might end up like Dirty Marty and only have seven wooden teeth and no 'goodies'.

Santa falls silent, and I already feel the guilt pressing on me again. There's no other choice but for me to repair her. Somehow. I reach into the deepest part of my memory and retrieve my pseudo-Donatello side. So many wires and connectors and gizmabobs await me! I'll have to do my best because it'll be one step closer to reaching home and embracing my family.

With renewed commitment, I peer inside Santa's petite cyborg body, and I find …... two little wires. That's it. Two wires that are severed from the cavity and it's not difficult to tell which slots they marry. I get a little excited that it's not as difficult as I thought, but a little voice is making a big noise in my head: '_Proceed with caution_.' It nearly overpowers the subtle '_Watch out! Angry fox lady closing in at 3 o'clock_', but I easily out-maneuver her claws and save Santa in the process.

"What an angry elf you are, Zera!" Shaking my finger at her and clicking my tongue, "You'll scare all of the customers away!"

I have my back turned to her, but her glare could eat a hole through me, I'm sure of it. Unfortunately for her, dealing with hot-heads is a full time job for me. She tries every attack under this wacky sky, sneaking and pottering around my work area. It keeps me light on my feet and brain power, too. Connect the wires, rattle on Santa's head, knock on it, and push the big orange "REBOOT" switch. Let's see what happens!

...Nothing. Darn!

"Hello? Are you there, Santa?"

A coat hanger bangs on the floor.

"Saaaaanta?"

I feel a huffy presence behind me and when I peer upwards, Zera oozes her freezing scowl and twitches her stiff whiskers at me. I deserve it. Going to be very honest here and take any heat like an upstanding young man, such as myself, would. I'll let her get a free hit in or two. However, instead of caving my skull in, she merely slinks past me and bends to Santa, cheerfully saying, "Hello! I would like to have a look around your store today. Would you mind showing me your best deals?"

_Viola_! Santa is fully functioning and whizzing around the store, pointing and lecturing in her archaic tone, but she's okay and that's a huge relief for me. I give my cheesiest grin at Zera, much like what Mikey does to me when I one-up him. She rolls her eyes and shakes her head, but at least she's smiling again.

Santa hiccups and continues, "Thank you. Would you li-ke to go on trip to pretty place? No monsters or volca-noes."

"That's very nice of you, Santa, but I'm in a hurry to go back and continue my journey home. See, I need to find a mermaid with-"

"Has all kinds of mer-maids. Forest near the Plotnob sea. Cafes, saunas, gold-fish buffet."

Zera has a meteoroid shower in her eyes. "Even the coconut goldfish? Turkey? Barbeque? Mustard?"

That almost makes my stomach churn. I think if Santa had one, it would do the same because she pauses before answering, "Yes. All you can eat and plenty of bath-rooms available."

"Can we go? Please please please, Hamato?" Her shoes lift off the floor and her ears bounce to the tune.

"Only because it might be the place where I can find the mermaid. I can't get off the course and lose focus."

Zera takes off her shoes and hands them to Santa. "I told you I would help, Hamato! Just let me have a little bit of goldie and pineapple root beer, and I'm in tip top shape!" She looks around the warehouse and then back at me. "And where did you find your clothes and boots? I prefer men's boxers because it leaves enough breathing room for my tail. Hat! I can't forget a hat!"

Santa motors in one direction, and Zera another. Placing her pink underwear back on a stack of khakis, I calmly speak aloud, "I was pretty proud of finding that dress." You can't please everyone, especially women.


	12. The Typhoon, the Spaz, and the Wardrobe

Forgive me. I get very excited about goldfish and root beer. Apparently, Hamato does not. He's missing a rare delicacy in this land! Shame.

Why does he look a little sullen? Did I hurt his feelings? I don't know what I did. My first instinct is to ignore it, a trait that helps in a blunder-land like this one, but I can relate to his problems. It's difficult to ignore _him_, and ignore those amiable eyes.

Santa shows us the portal back to the dinner party before our trip to the Blue Sung Thicket. If Hamato thought this world was creepy before, he is in for a treat traveling to the Thicket.

"You're in for a treat traveling to Blue Sung!" I hook the Dream-Catcher to my hip and dust off the Lantern. "The Rasta Ducks are, as some would say, a hoot."

He delicately retrieves his tools and pushes them into the purse with ease. He cautiously smiles and asks, "The ducks are really… zebras, right? Armadillos? Christmas trees?"

The Bear and Dirty One are busy arguing with pink leprechauns so I snatch a potato piece. Hamato clicks his tongue at me, but hunger wins over his discipline. "Zombies. Ghosts." This potato is the best bloody thing ever! It's succulent, sweet, yummy, and—

-Gone! Hamato rips it from my hands!

"You didn't ask for the food, Zera. That's rude."

Juice drips from the corners of my mouth, and I yearn for my treat again. My heart could rupture through my chest at any moment! "If you want your hands, return my food!"

Hamato stands guard and gives me a disapproving nod. "They prepared this food and want to serve it to their guests. You are not a guest."

"I'm famished and they're too busy for me right now. Interrupting their conversation is RUDE."

"Ask them for the food, Zera."

"Why do you say my name all the time! Like I'll forget it?"

Our argument disturbs the dinner party. "Ahoy there!" Dirty One waves his cheeseburger claw. "You're all dressed for me party! Come say hello to the new guests and dine with us! Arrrr."

"Providing that you lower your voices!" one of the pink leprechauns screeches, even points its chubby finger at us. "Especially you, Fuzzy Tramp!"

All of the leprechauns jeer at me, the disgusting little pigs. After hearing comments such as 'can we hitch a ride on your ears' and 'do you go through a car wash to clean your body', it didn't bother me; I'm used to it. Actually, I'm surprised that I didn't lunge at them and gnaw on their piggy legs, but it caught me by surprise, and I am getting low on energy.

A potato skyrockets into the pig leader's face, and he wails for his pink brothers to avenge him. Dirty One almost dies from laughing, and Bucky Bear ignores everything and takes his seat at the table. I'm astonished that Hamato committed such an act over a small thing.

"Why?" I mouth at Hamato, half smiling.

He shrugs and winks at me. "Let's go."

As we leave the dinner party for (hopefully) the last time, the leader pig screams for his mother and vows to chop my "little boyfriend" and me to pieces.

I can't stop smiling. I don't know why!

* * *

"Santa instructed us to wait for the…" Hamato squints as he reads scribble on paper, "…the Ty… phoon…. Express." He eases his eyes and finishes, "Typhoon Express. Have you ever been on that system?"

I am too busy flicking fur off my shirt, but I catch up quickly. "Typhoon! Yes! No!" I stare at a tiny drifting neon light-bulb. "No. I don't think so."

"Which one is it, Zera?"

Really, why DOES he keep saying my name all the time? "I have not, Hamato. I have never been on it, Hamato. I like your shoes, Hamato."

The light-bulb lands on his cheek and he smashes it, splashing green goo all over his face.

"You killed a Tam!"

"Habit, sorry. I thought it was a radioactive mosquito."

"Mosquito?"

"A little bug that likes to suck blood where I come from."

I must have been zoning because he stops cleaning his face and steps closer to me. "Are you okay?"

"Mos-quito." I repeat it over and over in my head. That name is so familiar to me and I hear an abrupt shrill in the distance. "What was that?"

"What?" Hamato looks across the landscape, following my spastic gaze.

"Like a buzzing noise. It's quick and then disappears."

He swats around my head and checks my ears and cheeks. "No tams. Do they bite?"

"No."

"I didn't hear it when it landed on my face," he wiped his cheek, smearing the goo a little more. "I'm not sure what you're hearing."

I dismiss it and reach into Hamato's purse and find a polka-dotted handkerchief. He doesn't like it when anybody nurses over him, that's very evident. I fight tooth and nail to wipe his face, but the goo smears until he's completely green.

"You look like a reptile now," I hiss and stuff the handkerchief in my back pocket.

His cold stare makes me shiver. "That's not a bad thing. I like being a reptile."

"As long as you don't smell."

He thaws his glare and wipes the goo on the tip of my nose. "I have a good feeling about this trip."

After a moment of staring at each other, I grow bored and search for the Express. I hope it gets here before Underlight does or we'll have more problems on our hands. The Lucaracs like to fly in the dark, and while I know Hamato can hold his own, I don't want to see him get hurt. His sensitive skin would easily crack under the Lucs' vicious claws.

Hamato incessantly scratches in small spots on his clothes, and I examine him. "I wonder if someone put an itch curse on you?"

"Why would they do that? I haven't made anyone mad." Scratch, scratch.

"Citizens here do it out of boredom and jolly. I would."

He looks beyond me and sees something in the distance. "I think there's a twister heading our way. Big, black, swirling vortex."

Indeed, Hamato is correct, and what I'm assuming is the Typhoon Express propels over the hills and carefully avoids trees and bushes. It came just at the right time as the Light submerges into the pluvial sky. Ripples stretch on both sides as far and wide as they can, and Hamato is mesmerized by the sky. It still amazes me, too.

Typhoon Express whistles and smoothly halts in front of us. The thick dirt around the twister dissipates and emerging from the center, an attractive dark-skinned male with long silver hair and piercing golden eyes. His flashy, vibrant ceremonial wear catches my attention most of all. Where did he get such a lovely outfit?

"Hello! Did you make your own robe?" My eyes fold over his beady headdress. "How long did it take you?"

"You must deem yourselves worthy to ride the express," a booming voice creeps out of his throat. "Are you worthy?"

"Uh, Zera, can I speak to you for a moment?" Hamato interrupts my adoration.

We step away from the Express, and I casually whisper, "Did you see all of those beads? It must have taken ages!"

"Do you think we can wait for another ride?" He flicks a piece of fur off my shoulder and pats down the cloth.

"Where's the fun in that?" I sneer and point to the purse. "I demand for him to make me a headdress should I win."

Hamato stops me from leaving. "Can we avoid unnecessary fighting? Let's find a place to stay for the night and hike to the Thicket tomorrow."

Our conversation is interrupted by the Express looming over us, wind and dirt swirling around him; I believe his eyes are flickering, too. So cool!

"There is no other ride for another thousand years. You cannot enter the Thicket any other way but through me."

Blood rushes to my face. "I can prove myself worthy! And I'll prove him worthy, too!" I immediately point in Hamato's direction. "Not only will you give us a ride, but you're forfeiting that head-piece too!"

"My grandmother made this for me."

"Save it for your journal, boy!" I stand on my tip-toes and face him at an awkward angle. "We're getting on the Typhoon Express one way or another!"

The Express tries intimidating us by blasting a ton of air against our bodies, sending us hurling across the stretch. Hamato bounds to his feet and coasts back to the Express, avoiding the increased winds and surge. Never have my eyes seen such a prestigious offense! The Hamato man glides like a mirage, and in moments, he finds an opening between the energy and strikes for the Express' head!

I shield my eyes and can't bare to see such an elaborate head-dress get mangled! But when I hear Hamato flush a mild expletive, I dash to his aid and find him …... covered in the red muck again.

"You hit a Bababuster?" I sniff at his sticky, red-frosting body. Not to mention that his face is still green, too.

The Express no longer poses a threat, thanks to Hamato destroying the power source: a mini-Bababuster. Those things are such a nuisance! Destroy them and their flaky body explodes on you! I pull out a kitchen sink from the purse and wet a beach towel for Hamato.

He is clearly unamused as his eyes darken, "I was hoping I wouldn't see those things again!" He doesn't miss a single spot on his face, even cleaning the green off it. I had wanted to clear his face, but I guess I'll shine his shoes and work on his legs. It's a tough little job and keeps us busy for a while. Soon, I feel a huge weight and something placed on my head.

"Yours," Express rumbles, his stance as majestic and boring as ever. "Now, board the train."

As soon as we look behind him, a long golden train greets us. It even shimmers in the twilight and quite a few passengers are on board. Hamato's expression softens at such a welcoming sight, and he helps me to my feet.

The Express turns and says with lackluster enthusiasm, "Enjoy the ride."

When he's out of earshot, I quip, "He might need a new hobby."

"I think he's sad because you now have his family heirloom." Hamato pokes at it, causing a little jingle.

"Indeed!" Bouncing really creates noise from the piece, and I'm getting odd glances from the train passengers. "You were so cool! Did you go to the Ninja Sue Academy?"

He doesn't even answer me. Just stares a hole in my head.

"Never mind," I wave it off and grab his hand. "All aboard!"

Once we're on the train, I dash for a good window seat and keep touching around the trophy. It feels just as amazing as it looks! All the little beads, ribbons, twirls, and hoops! I wrap and wrangle my fingers into every little ornament.

During Express' dull announcements about not feeding his pet shark (should he ask; he's on a sugar free diet) and keeping all limbs inside the train, suddenly I want Hamato to don HIS trophy. It's not really mine, but if he lets me have it, I won't say no.

So I plant it on his head while he's curiously staring at a man eating his own teeth. "Yours!"

He simply answers by bobbing his head and jingling.


	13. The Circle of Hell

_Credit: Alex Hamato with the "Frixie Pixie" name._

* * *

I can only count a handful of times that I've enjoyed the thrills of a roller coaster.

"Hamato, hang on to your pretty hat!"

Possibly two or three times. I like adventure, but mostly, seeing the excited looks on my brothers' faces was more fun for me. Call me silly or cheesy, it doesn't matter. They are the ones who make me smile.

"You're about to lose your purse! Hang on tight!"

The Typhoon Express is...

"Oh! There goes part of that telephone, Hamato. Waaaaaay down there! Hey! YuckMouth! Get your hand off my buttocks!"

…...a roller coaster ride around the intestines of Hell itself. This once golden, seemingly docile train has transformed into a tentacle-growing, grabbing, throwing, slinging, bouncing, boomeranging piece of mechanical torture. We're bounced around everywhere and shoving into each other's faces but none of our cargo goes flying. Except part of Mikey the Telephone and we almost lost April, but I thought Zera had her.

"Don't lose the hat!" Zera yelps and clings to my upper torso. I'm unable to answer since I have half of her head in my jaw. Very uncomfortable, what with all of the commotion and rebounding.

Everything moves and shuttles so quickly that I'm unable to see exactly where we are in Bizarreville. Zera desperately keeps the hat firmly on my head, and I don't want to lose the Mirror Family tools. I can hear all of them screaming for mercy from their placeholders. I'll have to apologize to them later.

The turbulence slows and eases through a dark thicket. The Tam bugs light the train's ceiling, casting a green glow on the passengers. I almost feel natural again, seeing the tint on my skin. I immediately check the family and ask them to sound-off for me.

…..I won't repeat what they said to me; I almost blush.

The conductor barks, "Attention! We are approaching your destination. As soon as you can, wipe your feet and get the hell off."

"Do we get any refreshments?" I mumble and stuff a blabbering Mikey back into the purse. Between him and Raphael's yacking, a headache is mutating behind my eyes. Sheesh!

Zera slaps the blazes out of, who I'm guessing is, Yuckmouth, the guy who was eating his teeth before the doom ride, and he vows to pleasures himself, daydreaming of her face while he's in Blue Sung Thicket. That awards him a punch in the face and what little teeth remained in his head is quickly scattered on the floor. Of course, he steps down and has a meal of it. I have to look away for a moment.

Even under the forest glow, she's radiating like hot iron. I humbly scoot from her, but the head-dress jingle gives me away, and I get a vicious glare.

"I think that was very disgusting what he said, Zera." Defense mechanism against feminine scowls.

Her ears bounce with annoyance and she harshly whispers, "Look around you! These aren't strangers!"

Almost every eye is on us, and she's absolutely correct in her assessment. Sine, the grouchy penguin door guard; the Twinkie Tree... yes, a TREE; the four Kiwi Bats, Zera's kind; Martha Bumingstead, naked, and Dr. Buck, the skeleton. Behind me: Dirty Marty, the Asian gentleman, and Dr. Buck the Bear. Santa the Cyborg with her menacing, glowing eyes at me rounds out the madness. I never caught the name of the pink leprechauns, the ones that threatened Zera.

"Frixie Pixies," her voice croons and she doesn't take her eyes off them, "I'll roast their testicles over fire."

"Let's not get that far ahead. Nobody has said anything to us."

But I speak too soon; the Pixie leader, in his tight green outfit, pink skin oozing from his sides and waddling down the aisle, thunders, "Cowards! We don't allow your kind on our train! This is the Pixie Express, and a haven for those persecuted in this cruel world."

I just know that any second, the hell-fennec beside me is going to snap and throw every passenger off the train, but to my surprise, she doesn't. She's standing firm and tall, like how she acted when I first arrived. No shake in her posture, eyes glued to her adversary. I feel almost ridiculous wearing the hat, and there she is being all heroic.

"I am persecuted, too, and ironically, by YOU." The train shakes and rattles, threatening its monster ride again.

The leader guffaws and elbows a nearby Pixie member. "An outsider like you? Lergnoks have no say in our community. Get off the train!"

Before I can intervene, a pair of giant brown claws weigh me down, pressing harder into my seat. Dr. Buck the Bear growls behind me and I hear a blaster's chirps near my ear. Even after I repaired Santa... this has to be an illusion. We haven't ticked off nearly a fraction of these people! I scan over the train and feel something very familiar again. I felt it when I battled the Express, and it didn't take long to solve the puzzle. A mini-bababuster is attached to all of the passengers in some form or fashion: behind their ears, necks, even on top of one's head (Martha's).

Buck the Bear is extraordinarily heavy, and his claws could tear me in half. Yuckmouth and a Kiwi Bat gang member drag Zera from her seat and force her down on her knees in front of the Pixie Frixie whatever leader. When I get lose, I'm stuffing him in the Twinkie Tree and chucking them through the ceiling!

"Why aren't you fighting back, Dollface?" Pixie sneers while grabbing her ear and pulling it as hard as his fat fingers could. My shoulders tense and I could almost shatter my teeth from clenching so hard. Bear compresses his strength on me, and the tip of Santa's gun licks my cheek.

Zera screeches from the pain, and the Pixie flicks out his knife and stretches out her ear. "How about we trim these down a little, eh? And we'll get your little Ymoh boyfriend next! His hair will go for a pretty price on the Crab Market."

When the train bumps a giant hole, Bear's claws are momentarily off my shoulders. My hands clutch Santa's gun, bringing her robotic arm to my mercy. CRUNCH! In half, raining pieces and wires on the floor. Wasting no time, my leg rockets into Bear's stomach and I lurch him over my shoulder and into the galloping Twinkie Tree, heading straight for me. Zera breaks free from Yuckmouth and headbutts him backwards. I'm sure he doesn't have any teeth now! The Pixies huddle in a corner while Martha and Dr. Buck the skeleton neck each other in their seat. We shouldn't have to worry about them!

Sine, the little grumpy penguin, leaps on a seat, facing me at eye level. I'm still very sore over what he did to the Twin Ladies at the antebellum home. "Why are we all fighting against each other if we have a common goal!" My voice carries like a shock wave through the cabin, but I waste my breath. As long as the mini-Bababusters leech off their brains, all attempts to settle will be futile. Sine's answer is pitching an over-sized sai in my direction; he's made a grave mistake throwing a very familiar weapon at me. Avoiding his strikes is simple, and picking him up by his head, launching him at the Asian gentleman fumbling with his camera, and the two collide head-first with their Bababusters disintegrating by their sides is like preparing a cup of tea. Bulls-eye!

I didn't have time to see an anguished Zera trying to summon her weapon, Sinai. We haven't seen Sinai in quite some time, I recall, and as Zera pleads for the weapon to fight by her side, the worthless Pixie gang bid for a blind strike. There's no time to call for Zera, and I harvest a good portion of my inner strength to use the Twinkie Tree and side swipe the pink leprechauns THROUGH the wall. Wind howls around us and loose cargo plus a Kiwi Bat member falls through the hole, and it occurs to me that I didn't use the best problem solving part of my brain on that one. I'll just blame it on seeing Raph make a mess of things too much.

As if the situation wasn't already peachy on the Express, the roller coaster adventure resumes and everyone barrages into each other, screaming and panicking. Sinai's magic glares and blinds all pupils on the train, shattering the Tams' weak glow on the ceiling. Once the spell dims, I am half a second away from witnessing Martha nonchalantly shoving Zera towards the black hole. Moving my body is difficult in the disturbance, and I see Zera falling towards the hole, tear stained face and devastated. The train swerves a 180 and the only thing that pops in my head is to use Buck skeleton's skull as a foundation and sail straight for Zera.

Through my feeble attempt to save her, Sinai is directly summoned, gleaming in the palm of Zera's hand; it assembles my fire-tool and mallet and creates a solid barricade over the gaping hole. Zera clings for dear life, the wind trying to claim her outside the tossing express. I grip tightly, until I can feel my skin cracking around the tools, and I reach as far as I can for Zera.

"Grab on me! I can pull you up!" The environment is deafening, and I'm not sure she can hear me at all; she's facing forward, under the train. "Zera! LOOK UP AT ME!"

Her puffy eyes and cheeks slowly make contact with me, and she weakly smiles.

"Come on! Get up here!" She's getting heavier, but I can't exactly say that to her.

Her black eyes grow wider and she yelps, "Watch out! Behind you!"

I hear a scuffle behind me, but I'm too tied up with my own problems to see what transpired. A bear claw and the awful smell of a rotten burger crowd around me and help pull Zera to safety. Sinai shimmers and Zera glides through the barricade without any of us falling through it. The train weaves through its joy ride and finally hits a lull again. I hug Zera and flatten the tuff of hair on her head. Behind me, Dr. Buck the Bear and Dirty Marty acknowledges us, and I bow to them. I suppose very few words could describe any of our feelings.

"Sinai," Zera whispers. "What have I done to not deserve you anymore?" She reaches for the weapon but it zaps her away and flushes purple.

It soon becomes apparent to me that I need to take control of the situation, to be a leader once again. Chaos is all over the train, and it bubbles in my chest to do something. To be somehow stable in a very unstable world.

Zera is thankfully very cooperative when I ask her to take another seat, far away from the hole.

"Dr. Buck, will you watch over her? I'm sorry that I had to slingshot you awhile ago."

Dirty Marty immediately steps forward. "The maiden is in good hands!" He slings maggots off his burger hand. While I admire his help, I'd rather assign the Bear to the job and avoid picking bugs out of Zera's fur. Once I'm confident the Bear has control, I hesitantly leave. She looks so small and confused the further away I move from her.

I step over the Twinkie Tree and a comatose Martha on the floor. I guess Bear and Marty handled that crazy woman easily. The final two remaining Kiwi Bats are coming to their senses, and an idea hits me.

"You two! Gather yourselves and come with me if you don't want a one way ticket through the abyss."

I hear no complaints from them, and they scuffle behind me. The Kiwi bats are twice my size, in leather coats, and dark sunglasses but with the bravery of a week old kitten. When we approach the conductor, he looks remarkably like Baxter Stockman so ordering the Kiwi Bats to dispose of him in any kind of way is both refreshing and satisfying.

Now driving this mechanical hurricane and seeing the zany, wondrous landscape of this land... I can't even begin to describe it. Not even enough sake, a wild week in Vegas, and my entire family hooked to a sugar pump could paint this picture. It looks like a oil pastel drawing with colors abnormal creatures zooming in all directions. Quite amazing, really.

I consider myself a decent driver: obeying all the signs, yielding when necessary, slowing down on the yellow light, and watching for pedestrians. It's impossible to drive safely with this machine! The steering wheel is as light as a feather and whirls like a wind-up toy. No wonder the train tosses everything around like it does! The Kiwi Bats try to help, and we gang up on the wheel, stabilizing it the best we can. I'm ready to release any contents in my stomach at this point, and that's very difficult for me to do.

Thankfully, the express settles, and we enter through a paradise with birds singing, the sun and moon hanging in the sky, majestic waterfalls, and heavenly... BLUE thickets. Blue Sung Thicket. Finally!

"Thank you for your help, gentlemen," I nod at the Bats. One turns to me and lowers his sunglasses.

"I'm a female," cracks the bass voice.

"Right... sorry. Thank you, miss."

I quickly peer for Zera while watching the track ahead of me. She's forlornly staring out the window. I hope we can resolve whatever problem she's having; sadness doesn't suit her. I believe this trip will be good for her and subsequently, good for us. My gut tells me that Blue Sung will point to my way home.

And as the train parks near a blue cheese and underwear factory, it will also point to my biggest challenge of this world yet.


	14. WideEyed Wanderer

Zera's gleaming white fur is in disarray, and I'm sandwiched between a massive tree and a wounded, mourning fennec. Thank goodness we found this Treehouse when we did, or we would be some creature's evening snack.

"I intend on writing a very angry letter back to Santa!" I seethe while plucking stickers out of Zera's fur. "Blue Sung Thicket is as much a paradise as Raphael's bathroom!"

"Raphael..." she whimpers, leaning over and tensing over the pain, "... is your brother? Like Michelangelo?"

"Yes." I'm having troubles with one thorn in particular; she won't like this round. "He isn't the most hygienic, but I suppose he has a method to his madness."

_RIIIIIIIIIPPP! _

I cover my ears from her screams, and blood oozes from the injury midway through the ordeal. She sucks in more air and allows me to finish the job, despite her discomfort.

"You have cuts, too. I will tend to those when you're finished with me."

"No," I quietly reject. "Mine are not serious. Remember, I'm used to it."

Her head sulks a little more and her long ears droop by her side. It's true that I'm used to it but with thicker reptilian skin. Not having my shell also alarms me, too.

"I adapt quickly," I reassure her and perform one last check for rogue stickers. She doesn't smile, even when I tap her chin and flash a mischievous grin. My inner Mikey isn't working. The sunset... er, moonset, whatever is happening in the sky, knits through the clouds and I have to stop and admire it. Home... is home beyond the clouds? If they are clouds? I remember the sky curls like water in this world. What Donny wouldn't do to see this land. All of them, really.

The best thing I've learned from my short time around women is to leave them to their devices. Zera's lips are sealed, and I doubt I"ll get anything more from her until later. My instinct is swatting at my desire to touch her a little more. It's simply not a good idea and not my place. She's not April, who is a very familiar person to me.

Scrambling down the giant jungle tree, and I say _scramble_ because mushrooms with golf-ball sized eyes are watching me, the wet grass ices my sore feet. I was wearing shoes, but during our marathon across Blue Sung, I ran much faster without them and tossed them aside. The ground is so peculiar with coral reef-like plant life in a variety of colors.

"Like an acid trip." A slip of the tongue and a pinch of my memory elude me. More often than I care to admit out loud, my eyes follow up the tree and dock on Zera. I wish she would join me and provide stimulating commentary about the Thicket's habitat.

I guess it's just me and the bug-eyed mushrooms for now.

"You have pretty eyes," a flighty, cute voice streams from the tree. I know exactly who is talking to me in a hot minute.

"And you have some fine ones yourself, too. Thank you."

The mushroom twitters her vast hazel eyes in my direction and gushes, "What is a handsome man like you doing in our wood? Only ugly old farts and bums, if THAT, come here."

"Then today is your lucky day, isn't it?"

"Oh, yes!" she warbles and shivers her little mushroom body, "I love hearing stories of how organic folk arrive to our wood. Will your friend be joining you? I have several 'shrooms who would like to talk to her."

I nod, "I'm sorry, but she needs alone time. Please don't disturb her."

The mushroom pouts and sighs, "Ooookay. What do you call yourself then?"

"Leonardo. And yours?"

"Minky Tournefort the 28th of the Agaricus Bisporus. I enjoy meeting new folk! I hope you will not turn me into a mushroom pie," Minky whimpers, her chocolate eyes floating. "Many of my brethren are deceased because we are absolutely delicious."

I warmly chuckle and sit on a huge yellow rock. "I promise not to eat you, Minky, and I won't allow anyone to touch you."

"How did you come to the Blue Sung Thicket? Who talked you into coming here? Nobody wants to step near this place."

Something slimy crawls on my foot and I immediately flick it away. "No offense, but I can see why, especially with the bizarre creatures. Where I come from, mushrooms don't talk, polar bears live in the cold regions, and sloths typically don't spit." A rogue shudder from my left arm reminds me of the near-miss.

Minky squeals, which causes the other mushrooms to vibrate, "Eee! Did you see the Rainbow Koala? Did it come down off its tree?! I bet that was scary!"

"Ahhh. The one that goes batty when it touches the ground? Yes. We encountered it." Sadly, it was the animal that almost strangled Zera and ripped out patches of her fur.

"The key to the Rainbow Koala is to feed it a coconut."

"And where would I find this coconut?" I peer around the environment. No coconuts in sight.

"The next island over. It's Koala Krack!"

"That doesn't do any good if you reach this place first, right, Minky?"

She giggles, "But you came in from the wrong side! You are so cute and clueless! We love to hear tales so please continue. I won't interrupt you much, promise!"

Minky has a point: I'm totally clueless, and rattling my brain of the last day's events is a heavy chore. So much happened after we stepped off the Express. All of the passengers scattered their separate ways, and Zera wouldn't say two words to me. I couldn't tell if she was angry that I saved her or what. I tried to ask Dr. Buck the Bear and Dirty Marty, but they were in a rush to meet a chicken coop salesman. I believe they're scared of women so I was the lone ranger again.

I did my best to avoid the blue cheese and underwear factory, but that's the place to get your brochure and general information. The desk clerk resembled a raw chicken breast with potato roots for arms and legs, and it squawked often. Alarmed me a bit, I won't deny, and the first thing that popped in my head was to call it was a "sea pig". She even had a disastrous blob of makeup on her face, and I tried so hard not to give her a few tips. Yes, a man that knows a little about cosmetic products, and no, I don't use them on myself. Occasionally, I like to help April doll herself up for date night. What else do I have to do on a Friday night?

When I relayed that little story to Zera, she briefly smiled. Success?

After traveling through the gate, that's when my memory gets a little foggy because everything happened so quickly. All kinds of colorful, ghastly creatures encountered our path, attempting to show us the way to our StockCrib, or Treehouse, what I call it, but I think shoving us into a canoe, tying us together (they didn't get far, I can assure you), and forcing us to drink liquids that would take the scales off a lizard are unwelcoming and brutal. A human lady almost drowned me because she thought I was her long lost half brother; I really hope she doesn't find the man if she harbors that much hate for him. Zera used Sinai for clouting and attacking purposes only. Actually, anything she could get her hands on, she used it as a weapon. Even me. I felt like a bowling ball at times. That's how we crushed the polar bear and sloth, AND how I lost my shoes.

The further we got into the Blue, things became more dangerous, and for the first time, I worried about our safety. When the Rainbow Koala dropped out of the tree and swung on a massive rampage, I didn't think it would ferociously attack us. I had my hands tied with a giant peacock that liked to attack ankles for some reason. I was never really a dancer, but I learned very fast in the forest! As soon as I heard Zera scream, I landed a swift upper cut punch square in the peacock's jaw but not before one of its savage claws tore my leg. I didn't have time to think about it and rushed to Zera's aid.

Although I don't think it's as serious now as my mind perceives, I really believed I was almost too late. Upon first glance, blood and bits of fur were scattered in the grass because they had wrestled a short distance away, and I swallowed a lot of horrible thoughts. Would I find her dead, maybe her hand in the Koala's mouth and it viciously tearing the rest of her body apart? I never tell my family of these unhealthy speculations, and I won't tell her either.

She didn't kill the Koala, but I doubt it'll ever mess with her again. She stabbed it enough times for it to cower in a bush somewhere, and I found her leaning against a glowing red rock. Imagine my relief when she still had the energy to follow me to safety and kicked the fuss out of the Koala in the bush. It hollered like a baby and zoomed up a tree. Then, I accelerated the both of us through the forest, avoiding as many of the wildlife as possible, but in doing so, we stepped in thorny leaves, plants, and bushes. My face really hasn't stopped itching from getting whacked by a limb.

When we came to a small clearing, it was short of a miracle that it was our assigned area, especially since we lost the brochure during the peacock and koala rumble. Good thing I have a photographic memory, and Zera has a quick eye. She immediately saw our StockCrib and up the tree we climbed. I let her go first, but she slipped a few times and I helped her onto the porch. Instead of checking out our guest home, we sought the comfort of the tree's mammoth branch and caught our first breaths since getting off the Express.

"Now my leg is stinging slightly," I whisper to a gawking Minky. "I should probably get back up the tree and call it a night."

Minky trills back, "You should take her to the nearby Imboo! Yes, I have a good feeling that that's where you should take your friend."

"Imboo? It's not an igloo, is it?" My mind colors a picture of an igloo, and Zera and I fishing on an ice lake.

Another one of Minky's girly laughs, rattling her other 'shroom friends, "Noooooo. You'll see when you get there! It's quiet from here to the Imboo. We'll protect you! You have been very nice to us, and we'll be sure no one attacks you. Just avoid going past the Imboo for now. Nighty night, Leonardo!" Minky's and the 'shrooms' eyes close and the jungle is draped in a purple/blue darkness. It's very serene and takes my mind off the stinging wound. I'll nurse it once I see Zera to sleep.

But first... a light trip.

* * *

"Sinai... it didn't come to me," her small voice reveals. Her dull black eyes blink up at me, and as I'm carrying her through the thicket, her body feels heavy, like all of her energy has been zapped from her. She hardly wraps one arm around my neck.

I keep walking, being as quiet as I can, and listening to her every word.

"My only link, and it is no longer parallel with my heart. What's happened? It won't answer me." Her words string along to the music of the forest: a soft melody humming through the trees and air. Completely opposite from the crazy daytime. Is the Blue Thicket... singing? Putting its own creatures to sleep?

The pleasant sound of water edges closer and closer, but before we reach this Imboo, I gently place Zera on her feet and help her gain balance.

"Thank you..." A weak smile, and she stands a little taller. She looks rather pretty in the soft orchid light, even with the wounds.

To add a little harmless suspense, I cover her eyes from behind and guide her through the bush and to the water. When I catch a glimpse of the Imboo, it's a sight to behold: an amazing cascading waterfall, flickering Tams dotting high above it, and the beautiful light reaching from end to end. The Imboo is rather large and seems like it shouldn't be real, at least in this savage forest. Like the twinkling eye of a storm.

As soon as she sees it, her ears slowly elevate, and it elates me to finally see her good mood return. I think her fluffy tail even wags a little. My hope is that her worries have subsided for now, for just a night.

Zera leans on the bank and stretches as far as she can, grinning into the water. When she reaches a hand into it, I assume she's angling after a goldfish or something, but a few droplets of water arrows into my forehead. There's her mischievous grin again.

When I don't respond to her aquatic threat, she dips her legs into the water and closes her eyes, enjoying a peaceful moment. This allows me enough time to climb a tree and use a firm, enormous leaf as a water-slide and return the favor to her. Of course, I almost slide straight into a huge rock and swept under the waterfall. Close call!

I break the surface and she's smiling in her wet spot, barely even moved during the ordeal. Probably shielded her eyes mostly. We chuckle and then laugh from the stress of the day while I'm hugging a rock. It's a much needed break. I glide from the spot and look up at the Tams, bursting the sky in emerald. Floating on my back just isn't the same without my shell, but I make do with what I got.

Pretty soon, I'm lost in meditation, drifting with the water and riding the small, decreasing waves. I don't know when I'll get home or when I'll see my family and friends again, but it's peculiar that I'm thinking of it less and less now. Am I growing accustomed to this world and what it offers? Do I feel more comfortable with it and myself in it? Getting home is still my loyal mission, but I seem to be taking things in my stride lately. It helps that I have allies now. If you can call most of them allies... but as long as they're not stabbing or eating me, they're my only help. And then I can't help but feel something different came from riding the Express, like a mid point to a race. As soon as I touched the line, I saw and felt uniquely.

A mellow splash breaks my concentration, and when I open my eyes, Zera is peering into them.

"You have a bright green glow behind you. Like a twilight zone," I joke. She sneaks a peek above her and then back down to me. I hum the Twilight Zone theme, and it's only funny to me but she laughs at it anyways.

"You have a green glow to you as well, Hamato. All over you."

I smirk and reach for her face, smearing a wet spot across her cheek. The clouds part in her beady eyes, and they shine; I'm glad to see my partner in crime again.

A Tam whizzes past her ear and she snatches for it with her teeth. I almost tug her ear for that! "Hey! Don't eat them!"

She darts after the Tams, splashing and jumping at them. I kick back on the bank and watch the cute show starring a soaked fennec failing to catch a few Tams. She can stab a rapid koala but can't capture a few flying bugs. During the many times she trips back into the water, I create another obstacle for her: splashing and kicking waves in her direction. We try climbing behind the waterfall, but she almost slips and crashes her skull into the rocks.

…...I think it's time to call it a night for real now.

I help her out of the water and we have a nice stroll back to the StockCrib, but we don't really say much. We're both smiling, so that's good enough for me. When I let her climb back up the tree first, I notice that we kept holding hands during the walk. She didn't let go, and neither did I.

The inside of our Treehouse is a mansion! To me, since I live in a sewer. From the outside, it's a large Treehouse, but it's a different dimension inside. Wow! Shiny floors, a homely feel, a pleasant smell, and in a nice mix of earth colors. A very luxurious establishment. "I feel really bad coming in here all damp and soaking wet!" The whole place really boggles my mind.

She unbuttons her shirt immediately and hangs it to dry. "We deserve this much after almost losing our lives to get here! I expect a cooler full of food and a warm, fluffy bed!"Off comes her boots and pants now. She's completely damp and naked and running through the house.

"I found the bed!" I can hear her bouncing on it, too. "It's wonderful! I've never felt anything like it!"

I work up the nerve to undress myself aside from my underwear. She may have already seen me naked plenty of times, but I'm not used to it. The first thing I do in the bedroom is find the closet and get fresh, DRY clothes.

"You're still wet and you're getting the blankets wet, too!" I scold and change underwear in the closet. "Find some dry clothes, Zera!"

She quickly scuffles through her side of the closet and throws on an oversized blue shirt that hangs by her knees. It reads "_Blue Sung Thicket – your ticket to a perfect paradise_." Yeah! After you nearly die!

"I'm beat!" I throw myself on the bed and close my eyes. I feel Zera leave the bed and scamper to another room and clinker around in it. I'm sure it's the kitchen from the sounds of plates and silverware.

"You want some food?" she returns with her mouth stuffed. I politely decline and roll over on my side. I hear a little more of her clattering about before I whisk off to oblivion.

Sometime later, I wake up to no lights and a snoring fennec in the room. I feel beside me, and she's not there. Where is she then? I switch on the lamp, and she's on the floor! Curled up and using one ear to cover her eyes. No lady is going to sleep on the floor while I take the bed! I gently pick her up and put her in my warm spot. Her fur is still soggy, but miraculously, all of her wounds are healed. I take a look at mine and they're back to full health as well. Minky Tournefort the 28th was right.

Zera mumbles something in her sleep, and I bend closer to catch what she's saying. It brings a glorious end to a near-rotten day.

"I like you with a green glow."


	15. We All Have Feelings

_The dreams always end too abruptly. There is never enough time to blend with the feeling before it's all a weakened memory. _

Zera's glossy eyes open to an unfamiliar ceiling, but she finds strange comfort in a different wheel of daily life: never in the same place, never having the same emotions. One day slides off her back and makes room for the next. It's not something she strives for each day; it comes as it comes to her, and that's the comfort, the stability that gives her peace.

She blinks, quickly realizing that she's not on the floor and that her shirt and the blankets are in disarray.

Did she…?

Did _he_…?

Did _**they?...**_

"HAMATO!" Her fierce roar booms through their guest home, the StockCrib, or whatever it's called, and it currently served as a race track for a cooking fennec. "HAMATO!" A white blur motors through several rooms, slamming doors and knocking over a couple of picture frames donning singing fruit and lopsided Twinkie Trees.

Leonardo Hamato scoots out of the spa, snatching a towel, and rushes to her side. He does his best to hide his shame of getting water on the carpet. "What is it, Zera? Are you okay?"

Zera the Demon glares at the soaking human man, ready to pounce at any second. "Why was I on the bed? I was happily content on the floor! I do not sleep with strange men!"

He appears a little hurt. "Strange? You think I'm a stranger?"

She swallows a ball of her rage and simmers down, "That's not what I meant… I… it's inappropriate to sleep with you. We are not…"

"Familiars?" he finishes, his warm grin returning. "Breathe easy, friend. I placed you on the bed, and I took the floor. No woman will sleep on the floor while I'm around."

Zera shouldn't argue with that point, but she does. "I would have been okay! I can hear underground noises and would have alerted you immediately to any trouble."

Relieved over just a false alarm, Leonardo glides back on the bathroom floor and winces at the wet patch he left on the carpet. "And I trust you, but I couldn't leave you on the floor. Excuse me while I finish my soak."

The door gently closes, and his goodbye smile gives her an odd blush. Suddenly, Zera became aware of her morning attire and troublesome attitude. He really was just being a gentleman to her last night, and she's finding it more difficult to stay mad at him, even for just a moment. Perhaps she could cool her temper down, too.

Sorting through the closet wardrobe, she humors that she can face evil monsters, ride a hell train, and demand an enemy's hat, but finding a decent outfit makes her skin crawl. For at this moment, she cares about how she appears to him…. to her friend, Hamato. A friend, not a stranger.

She smiles and dangles a cute red skirt in front of the mirror. Does he like the color red? Would a black top go okay with the skirt? What about shoes? Should she ditch the skirt and cover herself up a little more?

But then… her heart nearly bursts out of her chest thinking back to the time that she wore the tuxedo dress and how her butt-cheeks were advertised through the land. It didn't dawn on her at the time to actually care about that sort of thing, but now the embarrassment sneaks up to her, and she could just die in the closet with skirts, shoes, and cheesy brochures.

_Slam_! And she did just that – locking herself in the closet, crawling into a deep hole in her mind and trying to calm down. It is so exciting yet frustrating to her how the situation is changing quickly, how her eye sees things differently, and how her distant heart feels closer to the present. She racks her brain for ideas, something that she could do or say to him to make her feel at ease and not so awkward.

And five minutes later, she remains in the closet, chewing on the edge of a brochure with her tail frizzing and heart stampeding. She's too busy coming up with an excuse and didn't hear him rapping on the door.

"Are you locked inside, Zera?" his smooth yet concerned voice asks.

The brochure is almost tasty at this point. "I'm fine. I'm having female problems."

"In the closet?" Leonardo pauses and then hastily remembers where he is. "Ohhh, well, I'll be exploring more of the house should you need me."

The distraught fennec doesn't hear anything that signals his departure so she snaps, "Are you there?"

No answer. She can breathe again.

The best thing to do during high stress situations like this one, she recalls, is to keep your fingers busy. Not just your teeth on paper, but fingers and the brain. Do something constructive. Perhaps creative? Zera flirts with the idea of making a present for her partner, her… _friend_. What kind of gift? What in the world does Hamato like besides waterfalls and saying people's names over and over again? As she continues pondering, a clump of her head fur scatters in her paws; she might have ripped it out during her spaz attack. Never mind. It'll grow back!

After several more rejected ideas, Zera growls at her predicament and twists the lump of fur in her hands. Then, a braid or two forms as her temper simmers, and soon, the perfect idea lands in her lap. All she needs to do is bravely exit the closet and find a few more materials.

* * *

Exploring the Stockcrib proves lackluster compared to their journey thus far. Just a simple, pretty guest home, and that feels a little boring to him. Leonardo wonders outside and sits on the sturdy branch with his Mirror Family.

"I feel a huge fight in our future!" Casey the punchy mallet cries. "I'm bored! I need excitement!"

Donatello the Fire-tool adds, "The Express was enough for me, but I have to agree with Casey. I think you should be on your guard, Leonardo."

The Mirror Family waits for Leo's reply, but he's lost in the vastness of Blue Sung Thicket.

"Yoo-hoo! Water Boy!" Telephone Mikey blurts from the purse. "We haven't talked to you in a while and you're going to ignore us? I'm hurt!"

"I know something you all don't know!" April the purse teases. Raphael and Casey groan in unison.

A small breeze tickles the back of his neck, and he smiles, but more from his thoughts than from the wind.

"I'm rather fond of this saying: is one mind in two bodies," dream-catcher Splinter's words ease into Leo's crowded mind. The breeze stops and guides Leo back to the tree. His lips are ready to spill a majority of his thoughts, but there's a wall in his way and it's difficult to climb over it. Instead of fighting and clawing at it, he chalks it up to not being fully prepared. He's not ready to act on his emotions; it's just not a good time to tell anyone, especially her.

He dusts off the family and clears his mind. Keep the hands busy, Leonardo remembers, and the mind and heart, too.

* * *

"Zera?" Tap tap on the closet door. "Hello? Are you finished with your problems? It's been over an hour and I thought we could do something fun."

No answer from the closet. He finally gets the nerve to just slide it open and face the horrible consequences, but his fears are eased once he realizes she's not in the closet. There's a huge mess in the closet, but no Zera in sight. Lots of fur pieces on the floor, though. It worries him a little.

"Zera!" he calls through the house, creeping around corners and knocking on other closet doors. "Want to go out for that goldfish buffet? My treat!"

The house is painfully silent, and he's expecting an animated fennec any time now. Annnnytime. Yep. Right around that corner. Scooting, slipping on the tile, and then crashing into him with her big ears flopping and all dressed to go.

And… nothing. Not a damn thing.

There has to be a good explanation, Leo mulls, as he checks every room in the house one last time before stepping outside. He scans the colorful, noisy forest and veers down the tree. Minky and her mushroom pals giggle at him as he prepares to talk.

"Have you seen my fennec pal, Zera? Pretty white fur, big lively eyes."

Minky rattles, "She rushed off to your right! But please be careful! The Ducks are scavenging today! Oh, I would be so sad if you didn't return. Please come back!" The other mushrooms pretend to sob.

He could only imagine who the _Duck_s are in this case. "I promise to return, AND formally introduce you all to Zera. Please guard our home with all of your might."

Minky almost has a heart attack from the compliment, but there's no time to soothe her. Leonardo dashes through the forest, calling Zera's name and hoping the Rainbow Koala isn't ready for a Round 2 today. Brushing through the glistening, flashy leaves, his eyes see nothing but a dull line ahead of him, and while he didn't have the faintest clue of her location, he back-tracks, or what he could remember, on their old trail from the Blue Sung's entrance. Leonardo's mind constantly ticks but his heart is in control, keeping him alert and shuffling through the thicket as evenly as possible.

_What a time to disappear, you silly girl. Why would you go in this forest alone? Why did you hide in the closet for so long? _

He prances upon a pair of giant slugs, and after a short staring contest, they pay no attention to him, and he can freely move along.

_I don't care if your hair isn't perfect or what you wear, or if you eat in the bed, although that attracts critters. I just want to see you while I can._

A different kind of noise breaks his thoughts, shrilling from his left. Leonardo stops and investigates the sound before taking up the trail again. It sounds almost tribal: humming, a little whooping and crying with rhythmic beats, and bass voices.

_Wait a minute.. that song sounds familiar. Is that..?_ He listens closely.

_Michael Jackson music? It's Mikey's favorite… _

Leonardo nods his head to the beat, and it clicks._ Fire's in your eyes…. _He waits a little more while the lyrics reach his mouth.

_No one wants to be defeated. Just-_

Leonardo cuts himself from the catchy song; he hunches and shifts through the grass, stopping to peer between a glass tree and a fuzzy puke-green rock. His eyes soaks in the full effect of what he's viewing: a group of tall individuals with dreadlocks, wearing dirty red and yellow robes, dancing and bouncing to their tribal song, and Zera sitting on a giant inflatable blue fish surrounded by shorter members, possibly the females. Blinking his eyes a few more times, he gawks at the spectacle and accidentally scraps his hand on the rock. This isn't good at all, he scoffs, while rubbing the tiny amount of blood off his hands.

Especially since the men and women appear to be zombies – the _undead_.

"SNIARB!" a screechy voice emits from a male who suddenly jumps in front of Leonardo and pokes him with a studded weapon. All of the tribe is alerted and falls into defense mode, howling and quacking, and the females rush to protect Zera. Leonardo sighs, pushing aside the screecher, and gunning straight for Zera's prison. He zigzags through a maze of groaning tribal men, leaping over one, avoiding three, elbowing the jaw of another and watching it catapult into the air, and landing in front of the squirming females, all who are determined to protect their new prisoner.

"I avoid attacking females. Please move and let me take my friend back," he warmly asks and mentally hopes his face is twinkling charm. They cower and slink out of his way. "Thank you."

Zera's eyes are glossy, black slates, and she leans over in a comatose state. "Zera!" He pats her on the face and cheeks. "Snap out of it. It's Hamato! Let's go!"

Her lips move but no sound comes out of them.

"Hey…" Leonardo breathes and cups his hands over her flat ears. "What have they done to you?"

He is a trained warrior and an efficient machine, following the commands of his master and guiding the brotherhood to a honorary end, but even heroes have small, weak moments. A tribal member gets in the final shot with a hammer from behind, and Leo's last memory is stained with his friend's cold, barren eyes.

* * *

"Our mother," a rumbling tone lands her back to reality. When she blinks back the darkness, an unfamiliar group greets her: the Rasta Ducks, legendary natives of Blue Sung. She couldn't remember how she crossed their path, and her hands tremble from a bad gut instinct. What is she sitting on? She bounces a little and peers down at her feet and then around her entire body. A fish full of air?

"Our mother," the same voice persists, pining for her clear attention. Her mind feels like an avalanche, and she didn't want to guess what it would snowball into eventually. She acknowledges the tribesman.

"We have the sacrifice now. On your command."

Her command? 'Mother'? One solid look around the area and it's all clear to her. A few more natives purge out of the ground and join the party. Yes. That's how they captured her, she recollects. While searching for materials, she heard the tremors beneath her feet and jumped on her guard. Too many Ducks shot out of the ground and snatched her before she could summon Sinai, who, sadly, probably wouldn't help her anyways. The Ducks are cannibals who only eat once a year, but Zera was certain she was their yearly meal. Blue Sung's soil regenerates their failing bones and glides off their robes like water. Traveling through their underground tunnels, she almost lost her sanity and escaped one time before they grabbed her. Her hands were created for digging too, and she desperately tried clawing back to the surface. Never made it. The next instance, her mind clouded and the wool draped over her sight; it was the Nothing: the same period she had a short time before Hamato arrived.

Brilliant, clear sheets of magic dances around the sacrifice, almost whipping like ice fire. The sacrifice is revealed to her, and now her heart is the one trembling.

"Our mother, please tell us—"

"Release him!" she barks, sliding down the fish and barreling through a mob of females. "He will not be your sacrifice!"

The Duck Leader's drooping, glazed eyes focuses on Zera, who valiantly stands next to the circle. "But, Mother, our god, Sothop, requires a sacrifice on this day. A virgin sacrifice." His lower mandible rattles as he speaks; a fellow tribesman reaches over and sets the mandible back in place.

Leonardo awakens and immediately fidgets in his spot, trying to wiggle free, but the rope squeezes into his skin. Piano wire-like rope? He peers down into a massive bright hole in the ground with the sheets of magic creating a barrier around him. It's not long before he notices Zera's back to him, and he perks up.

"Zera!" He reaches a little further, not paying attention to the sharp rope cracking his skin, and while it stings slightly, he's very relieved to see her again although she didn't seem to hear him when he called for her. "Zera! Behind you!"

Outside the force field, Zera continues her triumphant speech, unaware of Leonardo's cries, "We do not want any part in your ritual. Close the hole and go back to your huts. Your god will not be satisfied with this creature."

Another Duck squawks, "He is male, young, and a virgin. Sothop likes fresh men. We make Him happy!"

"What makes you think that this young man is fresh?"

The Ducks exchange awkward glances, and some shrug.

"Zera!" his voice strains and his wounds ooze blood into the hole. He stretches as far as he can before the pain stops him completely. "Please hear me.."

Duck Leader turns to one of his servants and kicks him in the kneecap, shattering it. "You swore this man was perfect for a sacrifice! Our Mother is angry!" He flicks a creaky hand. "Dispose of him!"

"Uh, wait—" Zera's brain can't compute the events before the servant Duck is ditched through the barrier, bounces off Leonardo, and disappears.

"Zera!" Leo screams, and this time, she spins in his direction. Her ears elevate and eyes shine at him again. "Are you okay?"

"Are YOU okay!" she defiantly jabs. Her cheeks feel incredibly warm while he smiles at her, so she goes on a blabbering tirade. "Hey, I'm sorry that you had to see my butt when you first arrived. I didn't mean for that to happen. I don't know how to act around anybody. You were so gentle with me despite it being my first time!"

The entire Duck tribe closes in on the conversation, sucking in the words and losing body parts just to eavesdrop.

Leo's pain subsides and he arches towards her. "I could never intentionally hurt you. You just seemed so fragile and lost. Why did you leave my side?"

She twiddles her paws and tugs on an ear, avoiding his eye contact. "I wanted to make you a gift, and as soon as we're done here, I can finish it. I won't leave your side again." She glances back at him and grins. "I promise."

While the magic hole terminates, they forget about their peculiar situation, and the Ducks are stupefied over their sacrificial loss. The Duck Leader crushes the silence with his booming voice, "You are free to go, as our Mother commands."

Leonardo is cut loose from the wire and reunites with Zera. "Thank you," he whispers close to her ear and slips his hand on her shoulder. "No more running away."

"I must warn you non-fresh young ones," the Leader rolls, stretching his arms and losing his left hand, "In two days, we sacrifice to another goddess, and she likes engaging couples." His servants cackle and circle the captors. "We like challenges so be on your best guard."

Leo and Zera share a mischievous look and happily chuck rocks at the Ducks. They make for a mad dash between the glass tree and fuzzy rock, snickering. Zera accidentally trips, yanks down Leo's pants, and he spins out of them, hoping it doesn't slow them down. They scamper all the way back to the StockCrib.

"Quick!" Minky yells. "Go to the Imboo! The Ducks are hot on your trail! They don't like water! We will protect you!"

Leo beats back the urge to ask Minky how a bunch of mushrooms could fight a rather dangerous tribe, but Zera snatches his hand and drags him to the Imboo before he can form a sentence.

"What now?" he gasps, and a second later, she embraces him, and they find themselves at the bottom of the pool. She guides him behind the waterfall, and they break surface in time to see an impressive explosion from their StockCrib area. Faltering cries echo through the evening haze, and the ground rumbles for a short time.

"I hope that little mushroom is okay," Zera quietly mumbles into the water. She peers at him. "And you?"

"I am now."

"Do we have to find another place to stay?"

He crosses the pool and hops on land. "I think I still see it. After we check on Minky, did you want to finish your present?"

Lapping in the water, she falls silent and looks straight ahead. "You still want it?"

"Without question. " He hesitates with his next sentence because she refuses to look at him. "Am I making you uncomfortable?"

She sinks into the water and nods, "Mmhmm", and he immediately remembers that their marathon left him pants-less, and the dive into the water left him completely nude, save for his shirt.

He covers himself with his hand. "Not that I'm making light of the situation, but you saw me naked for a long time."

She swims to the bank and stares down in the water. "But I didn't like you then. The wool has been pulled from my eyes now."

Still doing a pathetic job of hiding his man parts, he kneels down to her and kisses her forehead. "May I be your Familiar?"

A fennec disappears under the water, leaving a meek thumbs-up as her response.


	16. His and Hers, Hers and His

So I've told Zera that I want to be her familiar, and her natural reaction now is to avoid looking me in the eyes. On our way back to the StockCrib, she held my hand, I squeezed hers and tugged on her ear, but she only responded with a tight smile. It stung a little, honestly.

"Your mushroom friend is healthy," Zera points before we climb. I smile, relieved finally, and then skeptically look the opposite direction and see a huge path of wasted trees and charred bushes. Minky and her friends pack a whopping punch!

All of the little 'shrooms sputter and yip at our arrival, like a mini homecoming parade. Terribly cute. Zera pokes on a random mushroom, and it chortles at her.

"Hello, the fennec lady, Zera!" yelps Minky, her colossal eyes almost bulging from her tiny body, "You and Leonardo survived the Rasta Ducks! That means you get another free night's stay in the Treehouse. Please enjoy!"

"Free is good," I casually respond.

Zera lowers to the plant's level, "Does our place have a Yen room?"

"Yes-see!" Minky cheeps. "And I have a huge library of books. I'm training to be a librarian!"

"Good for you, Minky the Magnificent!" I salute to her accomplishments. "I'm impressed by your strength, too," as I survey the damage again. A whistle escapes my lips. Minky and her friends go ballistic with their rattles and trembles, and I mouth to Zera about leaving them to their celebration. She climbs up first.

Underlight is breaking surface, but I notice the burst of colors across the darkening sky: shining hues of green, white, and yellow. Undoubtedly, an odd mix plastered on a planet's surface, or wherever we are, but still just as breath-taking.

"Hey, wait," I whisper up to her, and she stops to peer down at me, looking slightly alarmed. "Nothing's wrong," I assure her and glide over her body, pressing against her. "Look. To the sky." It's completely random, but I bury my face onto the back of her head and brush against it. So soft and warm. She smells like very earthy but there is a hint of a sweetness to it. There's no immediate response so I watch the sunset over her thick bangs and hope that I'm not making her uncomfortable. And asking would be awkward, too. I can't explain it.

My touch of anxiety fades when a low sound rumbles from her body. Is that a purr? It gets a little louder as I press closer. It really DOES sound like a cat's purr! No.. actually, when I listen more closely, it sounds like duct tape being pulled apart. I lean away and then push back to her again, and the noise fades in and out as I move. I find it cute and amusing! However, she soon gets wise to my tease, huffs at me, and shuffles up the tree. Apparently I need to be a little more suave and less comical. Also, it didn't help that I'm pants-less AGAIN and forgot about that when I scooted against her. How perverted of me!

Moody Zera doesn't wait once she reaches the StockCrib's door, and she vanishes as quickly as I would. I sense she slipped into the bedroom, and I'm correct because the closet door is shut again. Is she that upset at me? "Wait... I didn't mean to make you mad," I fly into Guilty Land and stand in front of the door. "I thought your –... uh, sound was cute and-"

"No, no," her mood lifting, "I want to take you somewhere, like you did for me. I need to dress appropriately for you., the ..." She pauses and then breathes, "..._other_."

My chest warms as soon as her last word sinks in. "Okay. I'll be waiting."

Looking down at myself, I notice I need a good change of clothes, too. I swiftly choose a nice pair of black pants and a blue shirt from my closet and hit the shower again. The hot water feels so luxurious and stimulating over my sore limbs from the Rasta Ducks' battle. Imboo's water healed my wounds, but my muscles ache a little. When I glance at my dripping turtle form in the mirror, I remember that my body was much stronger as a mutant. Zera doesn't see me this way: as my true appearance. I _still_ view myself as a green guy with a plastron and shell, a few deep scars, and scaly skin. Humans and mammals are much prettier, more attractive. I can completely understand if she didn't want to be with someone like me.

….it's not like I might be able to take her home anyways.

* * *

Bugger! No dresses in here that I like! Not even one.

He's going to forget me at this point. I'll throw on these light blue jeans, high waist ones for my pencil legs, a white shirt that hugs me a bit, and slip on a black sweater. Not too bad for something last minute. Comfortable and mature. Let's just pat down my bangs a bit and make sure my ears are hanging low. Gosh, I hate them so much. An unflattering feature of mine but he doesn't think so.

I smile and flap them with both of my hands. Yeah. _He_ doesn't think so.

I'll be the first to admit that I, Zera, know nothing about the opposite sex or dating. I've never dated before, or that I can remember. Hamato is friendly and soothing, and he's important to me. Nice things come to my mind: a quiet walk, training with him, playing cards, or reading with him. That's what I gather that he likes to do.

But, he likes to touch, too. I just feel like I can't touch him right now. It doesn't... seem right.

I hear him finish with his shower and I calmly exit the bedroom. I will miss this pretty house when we leave. I've never been anywhere this gorgeous. So much room and the floors are fun to slide on.

"Hi." He stands in the hallway, a muted light shining behind him, and his smile is very bright. "Ready?"

"You look nice, Hamato."

"Still Hamato, huh?" His smile mutates into a cheeky grin, and I give an embarrassed shrug in return. "You look... wonderful."

When he said wonderful, his voice faded, like the wind. It had such force behind a simple word. Something I probably couldn't do for him at that moment.

"Thank you." I clear my throat and join him in the hallway. "The Yen Room should be down this way."

"What's a Yen Room? Maybe something to do with... a circus or a hot air balloon race?" He nonchalantly takes my hand and walks with me. "I'm seeing visions of yellow elephants using balloons to get to space."

His humor is precious. "For once, it's as it is. A room showing your true desires. You can relive your memories there. I am sure the way back to your home will be shown to you." I don't look in his direction, but I can feel his stare on me.

"That's a good idea. I like it," he lowers his voice. "I am ready to go back home and see my family."

I nod and keep marching forward down the stretching, twisting hallway, and I realize how hard I'm squeezing his hand when he returns the gesture. I'm a little apprehensive about the recent events, and I don't want to make him uncomfortable now. I'm frightened that he won't be able to go to his home; that he will be trapped there and miserable. I don't want that. I don't want that at all, even if it's with me.

We arrive at a small red door, even shorter than us, and instantly we know it's our room.

"Are you coming with me, Zera?"

It's the first time I've fully glanced at him since the Rasta Ducks, and it's the mopiest look I've ever seen from him. "Are you scared, Hamato? Scared!" I tease and shove into his shoulder. "This is for you."

He grins and shoves me back, "If this reveals my home, I want you to come and see it. See my family and New York. Share this with me."

"I don't know how the Yen Room truly works, but if it doesn't want me there, I'll have to leave."

"Will do."

We enter through the short red door together, hands linked.

* * *

"It's about time you got home, Bro! Don's on supper duty, but I'm watchin' over him so it's cool!" Mikey the Bouncing Ball emerges with his red apron and spatula, waving it around the place. "GREAT to see you home! Did you bring me back any souvenirs?"

I'm rather startled by everything, especially seeing and feeling Home again. "Uh, not really.."

"Pretty women in bikinis?" Mikey's eyes could rival a black hole.

I shake my head and shrug my shoulders. Empty-handed.

"Even just a teacup?" Mikey baps me with the wet spatula. "See if you get enough for seconds, buddy!" The apron flutters from his maximum speed of evading a disappointing situation. Poor Mikey. He'll survive.

When I enter the warm glow of our kitchen, I smile at seeing my two remaining brothers at the table: Donatello with his smart phone and Raphael picking his teeth with a toothpick. It didn't even bother me when Raphael spat a rogue piece out of his mouth onto the floor. I could even kiss him!

"You look like shit!" Raph cackles and spits again, only this time the piece of food lands on his chin and he wipes it away.

Well, not REALLY kiss him, but a pat on the shoulder works just the same.

Don turns off his smart phone, and I feel very privileged by that. "The dojo just isn't the same without you, and neither is our darts game. I don't have any worthy opponents, and these two like to aim at each other like pincushions." He stands and gives me a hearty hug and smiles. I almost didn't let go of our embrace.

Seeing Mikey consistently at the stove, I ask, "I thought you were cooking, Don?"

"Well, I-"

"He had a _headache_!" Mikey howls and slams a cup into something. "But he can play that dumb Dwarf Fortress on his phone and talk about GeoChron clocks, whatever those are!"

"Shut up, drama queen!" Raph yanks on Mikey's apron. "I think those clocks are cool. I asked him about it! I saw it on the front page of Yahoo!"

"Let go of my apron! April and I made it last month!"

Raph tugs some more. "You wanna kiss, sweetie poo!"

In about five seconds, the apron snaps off and wraps around Raph's neck. Home sweet home. Don rushes to the stove and hollers that the food is burning. I can only shake my head and beam at the colorful annoyances dancing around the kitchen.

Raph slumps back in his chair, trying to breath normal again. "Yeah, uh... Splinter's in the family room waiting for ya." He gags and coughs. "And it wasn't my idea so don't holler at me later!"

Raphael calls fire before there's even smoke, and I warily glance at Mikey and Don to see what Raph is fussing about. They avoid my stare, and I have no choice but to meet with Splinter and see what in the world Raph means.

It's strange how I don't remember passing through the family room and not seeing Splinter because when you enter ourlair, you pass through the family room first. How did I get back home? Everything is so fuzzy.

The family room is laced in candlelight, and I immediately notice another person with Splinter on the sofa. April? Looks female.

"Welcome home, my son," Sensei's loving, elder voice needles through the darkness as I approach them. "I'm glad to see you healthy and alert."

I extend my arm to the mystery person and a furry white hand takes mine. Soft and warm, and it all floods back to me in calm memories.

"You've met Zera then, Sensei."

"Yes," our Sensei's dark eyes kindly flickers, "and she agreed to blindfold her eyes. I allowed her to use one of your old masks."

I prompt Zera to stand with me, and one of my tattered blue bandanas cover her excited eyes. She's grinning slightly and I can feel her trembling hands. I tighten my grip around her fingers.

"She has been introduced to all of us," Sensei humbly remarks from his seat. "And I have given her permission to remove the blindfold, but she insists on wearing it."

"It smells like sweat but more like you," Zera finally joins in. "And it makes me comfortable. Your life is mostly in darkness and secrecy from what I could see before coming here."

I play with her chubby fingers. "I broke our bond to get in here faster. I'm sorry. I left you behind, didn't I?"

"I'm never far away. I can sniff you out!"

Her kind, powerful words and our tender moment is interrupted by a bunch of immature hooting from the kitchen. I should have known my brothers would muzzle their way into my business!

"She's so cute! Do you think she will let me touch her fur? Not in a creepy or pervy way but just because I haven't touched a walking fennec before!" Mikey and the others congregate in the family room, and suddenly the darkness lifts and everything can be perfectly seen. Especially the dirt on the rug and cheeto fragments on the couch. Ugh! She sat in that?

Raph has to act macho, of course, and lean on the couch like a cowboy. "It sure is getting deep in here!"

"I don't know. That sounds a little stalker-ish. No offense, miss," Don idly comments and then quickly steps away when Zera snaps her head in his direction. "Don't smother each other is what I'm trying to say. Some distance can be good!"

"Shuddup, Dr. Donny," Raph mumbles and spits a pellet behind the couch. I'm highly disgusted. "They don't need dating advice from a ninja turtle."

Mikey touches one of her ears, and she instantly jerks away. I break mine and Zera's embrace to bap Mikey's hands. "Warn her before you do that!"

"Your hands feel different, Hamato," she whispers and grabs them again, running her paws over them. "Very different. His feel the same, too. Michelangelo, correct?" She drops my hands and touches Mikey's cheek. "Hamato talks about you a lot, and he smiles when he talks about you."

"What's this 'Hamato' business?" Raph croaks. "You haven't even told the girl your first name?" Sensei chuckles in the background.

"Zera," I lean next to her ear. "Don't listen to him. Call me what you want."

She nods but almost pokes a flabbergasted Mikey in the eye. "Sorry! You have a smooth face, Michelangelo Hamato. Do you wash with seal spit?"

Don and Raph howl with laughter, and Mikey stretches her cheeks. "I would if you brought me some back with you! I put baby oil on my face! Shiny baby booty!" His giggles are contagious, and she shows all of her teeth while laughing with everyone and Mikey stretching her furry cheeks.

Raph pushes away from the sofa, catching his breath, and leans on Don for support, and their amusement dies down. I quickly stop Mikey from tugging on her ears and politely shove him back. Zera points in a random direction, "Raphael Hamato is the one that makes you scrunch your face but your words have force to them. A kind of passion, too. Even when you say mean things."

I suppose it's no secret that Raph and I butt heads, but I don't want him to know that I gossip about him. Raph puffs up like a mad hen and then brushes it off with a fast grunt. "I keep him on his toes, that's what it means!" he gloats and almost drags Don to the floor with his cocky weight. "He would be DOG meat by now if he wasn't for me!"

"Dog meat? Does that taste good?" Zera blurts. We all have a moment of silence around her.

"I think it tastes like beef ravioli out of a can," Mikey the Saver guesses and whips behind her so I'm sure he can snag a better opportunity at grabbing an ear. I kick at him.

Zera points at Don. "And Donatello Hamato is the one whose brilliant mind keeps the family from being someone's science experiment or freezing to death."

I hear a slap and a resounding yelp from Mikey behind me. Sensei took care of him, thankfully.

"I guess that sums it up," Don shrugs and chuckles. "At least I don't use baby oil on my face."

Zera switches back to me, "Was I correct?"

"Yes," I bow to her, "you were. Very good."

"Well, I'm going on my bike while you two lovebirds make your nest or whatever," Raph stretches, walking away from the room. "Bye, HAMATO!" with a falsetto voice and a fancy hook to his step. Show-off.

* * *

This mask is getting itchy, but I will not remove it until I'm out of his family's presence. It's important to all of them that their family and home are kept secret. I know at the bottom of my heart that I won't be returning for a second trip, but it wouldn't hurt to obey their wishes.

_Not_ returning ….. _not _coming back. I drum it over and over in my head, peering through a dark blue filter, and being grateful for having my eyes shielded. A strong woman doesn't cry; she isn't weak and she doesn't break. I should enjoy this while I can and not stoop to silly emotions.

Truthfully, I'm just sitting here and listening to Hamato recall his tales in a 'Wonderland' to his family beside me. I don't think I've ever told him the actual name of the place. I like Wonderland better, anyways. Their hospitality is worth noting. I'm always asked if I'm comfortable, hungry, thirsty, or if I need to wash and dry my ears. This Michelangelo brother seems to have a fascination with my ears. I might let him touch one ear and then politely charge him money for it.

"Sensei," Hamato alerts the family elder, Splinter; there is a nervous tone to his voice as he continues, "may I give our guest a tour around our beautiful city?"

I feel Michelangelo pressing between us and making smooching noises. "Ooooh! Can I buy a candy bar, daddy!"

Hamato shoves Michelangelo's head away. "Preferably alone, but at least not with this jumping bean."

"ALONE, he says!" The jumping bean dances and smooches in the air. "Keep the door open, kids! All hands above the blankets!"

"Theoretically, I don't think that's possible," Donatello Hamato calls from my right. "He's a reptile and she's a mammal. Two completely different species."

"Duuuuuude," Mikey blows into my ear, "that won't stop LOOOOVE!"

"Mikey! Go away!" Hamato snaps, and I feel a slight breeze next to my head. "Nobody has that on their mind EXCEPT you. Now stop it!"

Splinter Hamato's hairy fingers softly touch my clasped hands; he speaks like the elder Trees from my land with many years of wisdom and experience behind him. It's extremely comforting. "Dress warmly and please don't bore her with facts and dates like you did to me. Sometimes," he tips next to me and whispers, "we just want to admire and study our surroundings."

Hamato doesn't respond on my other side, and I have a feeling that he's embarrassed. It's a rare opportunity to catch him vulnerable so I stick my hands on his face and feel the warmth.

Toasty Hamato! Teehee!

* * *

"The Metro-po-li-tan Museum of... Art," Zera enunciates, shivering slightly. I draw her close to me and then she says, "If you like this, I'll like it."

"Well, we don't have to go if you don't want to."

"No, no. You want to go here." A cute smile and one ear crushing against my chest. "It will be interesting to learn about your city and world."

We chuckle at each other for no apparent reason and flow in with the crowd. It's amazing to walk in with the humans. Not a soul looks at us! I'm quietly nervous, obviously, but it's like I'm being guided and protected. I don't know by whom or what. The powers of the Yen Room, more than likely, or maybe...

"I've seen a tunic like this before," she talks rather loudly and I tap my finger on her muzzle a couple of times. She continues in a softer whisper, "I used it to wipe an elder ogre's bottom because he had chronic diarrhea and always wanted jello milk."

...Maybe Zera makes a big influence on me. "What color was the tunic before?"

"Beige and black."

I rub a part of her other ear between my fingers. "Not much difference in color after that incident, huh?"

"I gave it to the Killer Bees Express Dry Cleaning and ….." she loses her train of thought.

"Ice skating rink? Ice cream shop? Oooh. Ice cream!" I tease. She nods quickly with her tongue squeezed between her teeth, in sheer delight.

The burn from the other patrons' eyes herd us to the next exhibit. Zera progressively gets more quiet and I'm fascinated by history and art, particularly South American, Southeast Asia, African, and Japanese cultures. A person steps back in time in a museum; it's truly our modern day time machine, and I can't fathom why more people don't support the programs. They're beautiful and timeless. My chest grows big from inhaling the information. I am at such peace.

"The arrival and passing of seasons in Japan is very significant to its culture," my lips dance along with my eyes across the gallery, "from the welcoming of spring at the lunar New Year to picnics under the blossoming cherry trees to offerings made to the harvest moon. I would love to take you to those one day, Zera. Maybe we can go..." It's with an embarrassed heart that I released my date somewhere between the Historic Images of the Greek Bronze Age and Artworks of Korea exhibits. I turn, feeling a little nervous about asking her on a future trip to Japan, and then she's...

"Sir, please ask your partner to tone down her... snoring," a male Museum employee with a stick mustache barges into my view. "I can hear it from the Oceanic Art room!"

His glare makes me even more nervous, and the only time I'm ever approached by a human with a glare is when I'm ready to strike at them. My hands twitch, but I'm very patient and steady. He leaves finally, and I can breathe again.

Zera's ears almost bounce with her snoring. I tug on them. "Hey, hey," I press my beak against her muzzle, "You're disturbing the peace, Lady Decibel. Wake up from your dream about me in a chocolate bath."

"You would be too sticky," she mumbles, one eye opening.

"So you were dreaming that, huh?"

"No," licking her lips and popping her neck, "I was sleeping in a hammock and you were talking to me about the seasons in Japan."

By the end of our three hour tour, Zera is wide awake and I'm exhilarated from the experience. She really enjoyed the Night Vision photography gallery and wanted to design a peace quilt like Faith Ringgold. I'm not sure what would she place on that quilt from her fantastic world, but it would be interesting to see, I admit.

* * *

Hamato lives in a humble world. I understand now why he was so bewildered when he came to mine. Everything makes sense here, and there is control and stability. It's also very cold, and my tongue is numb from eating ice cream. He ate chocolate chip and I had a rainbow sherbert because I couldn't decide on anything and the colors were pretty. I wanted three big scoops, and that was a huge mistake. Now I have to eat all of my ice cream, he says, or starving children in Africa will cry. Wherever that is.

"They can cry, damn it! I can't eat all of this! Send it to them!"

He ate the middle scoop and a part of the third. He doesn't make smacking sounds when he eats, and he's so meticulous. Every inch of the cream must be smooth before inserting into his orifice. He's weird, but I like him. I like that he bought me a red coat, too and said that I was pretty and reminded him of his friend, April. We will be meeting her soon, he says.

Hamato and I toured a Green-wood Cemetery. Our cemeteries have pubs, food huts, and marketplaces. We do not call the dead 'permanent residents' or give them memorials. They're dead. End of story.

"Any of the people you had to kill in here, Hamato?"

I got a very disapproving look, and he wouldn't speak to me for a while. I was interested in the 'Civil War' soldiers' monuments and wondered if my land was ever going to be free from the Lucaracs.

During the visit to Wave Hill, Hamato lectured about preserving plants across the world. He didn't seem to notice when I crushed a few flowers in the Palm House by accident. I was getting sleepy again and the ice cream churned in my tummy. The Woodland was my favorite, and I lectured him about preserving trees, unless it's a Twinkie Tree. Just burn those things to the ground!

* * *

I can't remember if it was getting near Christmas back home. I love that time of year: all of the magic, lights, warm food, and fellowship. Singing holiday songs comes to mind as well, and Zera tried her hand at it. Unfortunately, she was told to hush and then she threatened the group of teenage boys with a loaded hot dog.

"There's so much to see and do in New York," I comment as I'm plucking snow and relish out of her fur, "and we can't do it all in one day. Would you like to go see April and Casey now? Get inside where it's warm and we can watch a movie and have hot chocolate. I can make a delicious latte."

"Does that mean we have to kiss?"

I'm caught off-guard. "Uh... not – not really?"

She chomps on her hot dog. "I've never kissed anyone. I was afraid of getting a tooth disease."

"Neither have I. I've been kissed on the cheek and forehead. Tooth disease?" She comes up with the craziest things.

"We have to brush our teeth first. Have you had your check-up?"

"Zera," I squeeze her shoulder and watch her lick mustard off her chops, "I don't live in a normal society. I live in the sewer, but I know how to brush and floss. Don't confuse me with the other brothers who don't practice good hygiene."

"And, and," she almost fades into a whimper, "I'm too scared of doing the Reproductive Tango. I don't care how good your latte is or how nice your touch is or..."

I get the urge to playfully bite her ear. So I do it, and we forget all about that dumb conversation.

But... _reproductive tango? _I don't think I've heard it being that called before!

* * *

This April O'Neil woman is amusing, but I'm not sure if I like her. She gives off the Mama Bear vibe.

"So," the red headed woman's green eyes work their way up and down my body, "you met Leo on a flying walrus?"

She had to remind me of that imbecile Nipal. "Not exactly. I pulled Hamato from the river. Then we went on a flying walrus. He's actually a rabbit though."

April leans on the kitchen counter, arms crossed. "A walrus that's actually a rabbit? People who eat their own teeth? Hamato?"

Hamato can already feel this train wreck coming. He sits across from me at the table. "Her pet name. Long story."

"All of this sounds pretty amazing, Leo!" April's curls spring as her head tilts to one side. "No illegal substances are involved with this kind of... fling, is it?"

"April-"

"You guys are always getting yourselves into some wacky situations, but this one-"

"Allow me to explain," I rush in. "I saved your friend from drowning and being eaten by a Litto, a mermaid. They are not good creatures. I took him under my wing and supervision despite our land being in the middle of its own civil war and injustice. Hamato and I molded a tight bond, but it wasn't quick because I don't trust easily. Neither does he."

April relaxes and allows me to press on with the tale. "He's a terrific ally and friend. I won't be around long. He'll be back to his world very soon."

The kettle screeches from the stove and startles April. I glance back at Hamato, who is concentrating hard on the ceramic orange cat in the middle of this table.

"Leo," April quietly shakes him. "Your water is ready." She takes his seat when he rises and also stares the cat. I wonder what's so special about it, but I realize it's an excuse for them to think.

"You seem like a nice girl...er... fennec," she finally speaks with a mild tone, "but everything sounds too bizarre and I'm not grasping the situation. Give me more time to accept it. I may be friends with walking turtles, but where you're from takes the cake."

Turtle?

Hamato pours steaming water into our cups. The back of his blonde hair ripples into green waves.

A walking turtle, she says.

His hand stirring powder into the cup is suddenly bulky and green with a few scar marks on it. His back bulges, his shoulders stretch, and his height is decreased by a couple of feet.

April sighs and places her elbows on the table. "Casey is at hockey practice and that's supposed to only be a couple of hours but it usually turns into five." Annoyance dots her cheeks.

Finally, when Hamato finishes the latte, I'm staring straight into his reptilian eyes and face. He smiles, and it's as nice as it was before. Same Hamato; just a different skin.

And he's right: he makes a fantastic latte, and we didn't have to kiss or tango either.

* * *

It's my turn to get a lecture from someone: a sassy redhead named April, and I hang on to her every word about trusting, caution, how to treat a lady, and not to get too serious at my age. All are very valid, realistic points.

"But they don't apply here, my lady," I reassure her. "And we're not looking for a chapel to get married in."

"I know that, Romeo!" April hisses. "But I'm giving you some advice! You, of all the brothers, are the most level headed. She said that she's leaving soon. I don't want you tore up over it."

"But I will be, April. No matter how gently you break it to me. She's my friend and when we part, it will hurt. Just like it hurt to be away from you and my family."

She wraps me in a big hug and kisses my forehead. "Don't talk with that sad voice. I don't like your sad voice."

"I'll be back home soon, okay?" I muffle through her green bathrobe. "And I would like an apple pie to celebrate. O'Neil's finest!"

I get a wink as a response. Good enough. "April, do you know where a red door is?"

"Down the hall, I think," she oddly answers. "I don't want to know. Travel safely, both of you, and get home soon!"

Zera emerges from the bathroom, and I wait for her by the front door. Since April's interrogation, Zera hasn't spoken much, but she has smiled at me more. I'll take what I can get, then. The two ladies nod, and April sends Zera off with a pat on the shoulder.

April was correct: the red door looms at the end of the hall, and gripping Zera's damp paw, I lead the both of us through the Yen Room's exit.

Our voices echo in the darkness, and nothing is seen but can be felt and heard.

"_Your desires are strong and fierce. I like your city and your family."_

"_Even April?" _ I joke.

"_Yes. And I will miss you. I hope it's not too long before we can meet again."_

I squeeze her hand and she returns the gesture._ "It won't be."_

"_Your latte was very good. Thank you."_

"_You're welcome. May I ask if something happened in April's kitchen? Your face changed."_

"_Hmm?"_

"_Your expression. Like you just realized something."_

"_Your latte was that good."_

"_It was?"_

"_And that you're a little shorter and greener now, Leonardo Hamato. So cute!" _ with a small giggle.


	17. Under the Bed

I fell asleep in his arms, but I woke up without them.

I lift from a puddle of saliva on the carpet, and I admit that I'm a messy snoozer, but I swear on a purple peanut that I fell asleep beside him. In fact, my thoughts are scattered, and my cheek holds a carpet imprint and was somehow rubbed raw. Ouch!

Every room and closet in the Crib is searched, and I check the bathroom. Twice! Everything is just the way he left it: clean and tidy, but his scent lingers and I lie down on the mat, roll on it, and then sprawl on the floor, wondering if Leonardo Hamato stepped outside to talk to himself or to those tools. Speaking to objects or ghosts will get you raised looks in this land, but I believe in him and I believe those tools speak. They didn't talk to me when I tried yesterday, but that's because I'm not important to them; I don't think my rattling the telephone or slamming the tools against the tree helped either.

I knew his departure would come eventually, but I thought I would have more time to say goodbye. I don't know how to feel now. Maybe I'm like a balloon with too much air and slowly being deflated. There's enough time to think but it's all so scattered and sometimes irrelevant.

I slink back to the bedroom and curl on the floor, glancing under the bed and seeing nothing at first, but I remember as a youngling when I giggled and chatted with a comrade on the opposite sides of the bed. It was the beginning of my quirky nature, thanks to her. I wonder if Leonardo would appreciate the same activity.

….Talking under a bed? Would he dumb himself down for something that _stupid_? Really?

Reminiscing over our last few days together, it saddens me more and more that I, of all residents, was paired with him. The others were far stronger, more intelligent, and faster than I will ever be. When a new Rook enters Anavrin, various aspects change depending on the Rook himself. Nipal and I were rushed off to fight the Lucaracs before the vile beasts reached the new Rook. I didn't have time to breathe or blink before we were hauled away, and I certainly didn't know who I was looking for or if anything would work in my favor. I was scared, and when I'm frightened, I feel numb and cold. It's the way I was taught and the only thing I know.

Nipal was the first to see the Rook fighting the Litto under the murky waters. The numbskull creature could be useful in some situations, and one was his ability to see through water, even the deepest, darkest kinds. I'm not afraid of water or diving into it but of what's in it. Nipal wouldn't dare go so I was the only choice; I couldn't let the Rook drown or get eaten.

He was a heavy Rook and tried fighting me. I had to knock him out with Sinai, regrettably, and drag him to the surface. Much time passed before he awakened. The other Retainers checked on our progress and laughed at the new Rook. I suppose they saw him as weak, almost having drowned in what they consider a shallow body of water, so I exercised pity and banded with him in his coma state. I knew he was incredibly strong inside, but that on the way to Anavrin, he lost a lot of his... something special. I admit that my attitude was severe and unwavering at first, but it molded who we are at this very moment. And I like where it all went.

The entire StockCrib is empty of any Leonardo Hamatos so it's time to check outside. I haven't informed him yet but I have a fear of stepping out there without him and am still ashamed of being captured by the Rasta Ducks. They had threatened to return for us and the last thing I want is to be held against my will and place Leonardo in danger again. What kind of Retainer – no, what kind of _Familiar -_ am I if I present danger to myself and get captured all the time? If he enjoyed that sort of thing, I suppose we could make arrangements, but I don't find him as that type. Many horrific Rook stories have traveled down the Retainer pipeline, and I prayed on the Moon Tree that the new Rook I saved wouldn't do such nasty things. I had a plan of action in case the Rook was a beast, and I was prepared to face the worst against my peers. Yes, I do feel guilty that a wonderful Rook was sent to me and I thought about smothering him while he slumbered, poisoned his food, or perhaps guiding the Lucs to him slowly and watch as they fed on his intestines.

"Forgive me, Leonardo Hamato!" I scream from the longest branch, holding my hands to the sky. "Just say that you will forgive me and I will go on my way!" The birds and Thicket animals all howl for my silence, but I focus intently on the melting blue sky and drumming up the courage to climb down the tree.

"Hey, Guilty Lady! Look what I found!" His voice? Coming from where? I curiously look across the sky and the thicket. He continues with a teasing sigh from who knows where, "Down below you! It's your old friend."

I scamper around the branch and hug it tightly as I peer down below. Seeing him makes me happy, but seeing the pathetic, sniffling Nipal does not. Oh, _boy_...

* * *

"Zera, you're going to scrape the skin off his bones!"

I scrub harder and faster; Nipal whines and flops in the Imboo. I could just kick him in the face!

"Lady Zera! I am sorry! Please! Pleeeeassee!" he cries, hiding behind his ears and whimpering like mad. For good measure, I bop him on the head and hiss at him. Nuisance!

Weary of my abuse, Leonardo gently tugs both of my ears and arches my head back so that he can look at me with his disciplinary eyes. "Zera, enough. Why do you torture this little guy?"

I defiantly cross my arms and explain, "He's a coward and lies to me! Why is he here!"

"Ask him then," Leonardo sighs and releases my ears.

I point at Nipal floating in the water, "Why are you here? No lies or I'll sit on your head!"

The anxious rabbit fetches his huge, bifocal glasses swimming in the water and shivers, glancing back and forth between Leonardo and me. The glasses make his dopey eyes appear five times bigger and more pathetic. My hot glare only succeeded in making him quiver more.

"Hopeless!" I stand on my feet and walk around the pool; Nipal follows me, leaving millions of weak ripples and patches of fur in his wake.

"Don't be angry with me! I came to help you! Honest feelings!" He clings on the bank, peering up at me, and his teeth chatter. Leonardo gives me a pitiful look over the matter. Nipal is a failure with all things in life, and the coward knows this but he does nothing to overcome his challenges. For years, I have helped him despite the reputation of his kind, the Reformers, and he only got in my way, caused me grief and hardship, and almost had me exiled from my home. One needs a pack to survive in Anavrin, and without it, you are good as dead. My pack may not be much, but at least I'm not dead.

"What is your plan, Reformer?" I coldly stare down at his wet, matted body and put the fear of the Sky into him. I'm very sick of his own messy waves of destruction when we have a mission to accomplish! So many years. So much time wasted.

Nipal, in all of his yellow glory, blinks through the drops of water falling off his head and nods at me, "You need transportation to see the Littos so that the Ymoh can go home? I can provide you with the best transport in the land."

Ymoh... I glance at Leonardo, and I smile. He's not a ymoh anymore.

Turning back to Nipal, his fears subside seeing me smile, but I quickly revert back to business. "We do, and this is your last chance. I left you before, and I had no intention of returning."

"But if we're not together, we won't be allowed into the -"

"I don't care," I solemnly reveal, leaning over the bank and he swims backwards from me. "I'll take what comes at me and so will you, if you decide to join our party. No negotiations."

Nipal is usually quick to agree with me, or anybody, but I believe he has grown more backbone during my absence, just by looking at this eyes and watching his brain tick over the demands. I almost feel sorry for him, but a Rook needs our help.

I relax my shoulders and kneel before Nipal, who seems a little less likely to poop in the water now, "He's a special Rook and it's important to me that he goes back to his home. With your help, it can be fulfilled. Can you do it?"

Two sniffles later, Nipal approaches me, head a little high, and declares, "Yes. I'll help my friend Zera. I'm not worthy of your compassion but I will do my best."

"Come." I reach across the water and wait for his head to swim under my hand. He hunkers down, thinking I'm going to strike at him, but I have no plans to do that. I pat his head softly and even smile at him. His gigantic eyes peer at me and he almost sheds a tear, although it could be water, I'm not sure. He's still dopey and beginning to smell.

Leonardo kneels next to me and tosses out his hand for Nipal, too. "I'll give you a few lessons on defense and critical thinking. It's the least I could do to help and to earn my keep."

As Nipal launches out of the pool and bits of his fur sail on the surface, I'm reminded of my gift to Leonardo. I completely forgot about it! It would be good for me to spend as less time as possible around Nipal, and Leonardo has infinite patience. I turn to sneak back to the Crib when a small voice asks me, "You don't want to join us?"

It didn't sound like Leonardo, but it surely was. He wants me to stay and watch, and I'm sure I would enjoy it, especially Nipal's blubbering, but I feel we don't have a lot of time left.

"I need to finish something. Do your best." I'm sure he can tell that something is a little off with me, but he nods and walks away with Nipal trotting behind him.

…...We really _don't_ have a lot of time left. It settles uneasily at the bottom of my conscience, and I chew on those thoughts so much that I almost slip off the tree ladder. I don't want to disturb Minky and her friends by landing on a few of them.

Starting from the front door, my intention is to go to the bedroom and start on the project, but instead, I stroll through every room, my mind full of static. It's an abstract feel, like I'm not a part of my body and that I should be somewhere else. I can hear someone, a tiny voice but I can't understand it through the static. Physically, I return to the bedroom and stand in the middle of the space. It doesn't feel like I'm here; I feel so far away from my body, and every movement, even wiggling my fingers, feels excessive. The mental drone flushes out my normal hearing and …. the voice is a little more clear... is it female? Almost.

"Hello?" Voice is kilometers away from me. I'm not entirely sure but the room seems to be floating. Has the StockCrib turned into an aquarium? I suppose it could if the Blue Sung Thicket wills it so.

Too drowsy. Everything's too loud. Strobbing vision. I crawl to the closet, shut myself inside, curl up tightly, and wait for the madness to die. This is too soon. I don't want to start over again...

_An oasis of lily pads_

_in a bed of water and fog_

_Little froggie, plop plop plop_

_I'm here and you never come_

_Drop drop drop_

_Born of gentle eyes and red tog,_

_loyal, to you, the One who sees me,_

_not to Those who don't._

_A lady who grows up up up_

_and floats in the pool of lilies_

_but leaves when the Froggie smiles_

_and says, 'That's a good pup'_

The natural world returns, and I meditate in the darkness, still entwined and a lukewarm sensation passes over me. The lily pads. I remember them. The color red stands out in my mind. Did I wear something red? Was it a red frog hopping on the platforms? It was just existing; nothing tragic or of substantial happiness and I was none the wiser. I stepped out of the womb and began my journey. There is no certain destination, and accomplishments are like crunchy bits of delicious goldfish: good with each passing one. And my entire life is in every one of those pads. The other Retainers, my preservers, comrades, strangers, enemies, Leonardo the Rook, and even Nipal are froggies who plop on the water. Some make bigger splashes than others.

The madness lifted, I shuffle out of the closet and work on his necklace in the room's light. Special froggies deserve appreciation.

* * *

As I tie the last knot and comb over the finished necklace, Nipal crawls past the door, like his back is broken.

"Hot ….. shower... Lady Zera...hello... Help, I'm... dying!" He huffs and puffs into the bathroom and his whines echo through the house. I scream for his silence!

"Give him a break," Leonardo appears, not a single sweat on his green body, "It really was a tough workout. I'm used to my well-trained brothers."

He brushes past me and sits on the bed, overlooking my messy work area with fur, beads, leaves, feathers, and pebbles everywhere. "Did you finish? I stepped on a sharp rock, you know."

I huff, just like Nipal, and scoop up all of the materials in a manic pile. "I'm sorry about your foot, and yes, I did finish. Do you want me to doctor your foot first?"

"Nooooo. You do need to be a little more organized."

"Do you want your gift or not? I can give it to Nipal but he'll lose it as soon as he steps out of the house." I dangle the necklace in front of him.

He carefully takes it, tickles his chubby fingers over each material, and smiles, "So creative and intimate. I love it. It came from your heart, and that makes it beautiful."

I didn't expect that reaction at all so I freeze and watch him study the necklace. I suppose a thank you would work or a smug response that I AM talented in some areas or-

"You can stop gawking now or I might have to kiss you."

What a TEASE! Retainers do NOT kiss their Rooks and if there's any hint of it, a Retainer must evade the situation.

"Zera!" he laughs, "Why are you – ! I didn't mean to! Come out from under the bed!"

I didn't know what else to do! Don't judge me!

His sweet, puffy face pokes at me under the bed. "I forgot that it makes you uncomfortable. I'm a big tease, I'm sorry. It's a wonderful gift and I am honored to have it. Please don't stay under the bed."

I accidentally pull my right ear, radiating a sharp pain and I yelp. Dumb move. I am extremely pathetic, but he looks nice from here. Under the bed. In my safe zone.

"If you don't come out, I'm coming in there after you!"

I scoot back as far as I can so that he join me because I'm not going out there. Too risky. He squeezes under the bed with such ease and grace and rests his hands under his chin. His stare is too …. nice. Too endearing. He should be looking at me like I'm a psycho and ready to attack his face.

Instead, he just says, "My brothers and I used to camp under our beds and tell ghost stories. Mine went on forever and it put my brothers to sleep, which was okay in my book because that meant we went to bed on time and didn't get in trouble."

"Ghost stories? Ghosts aren't scary," I snort and shuffle a little closer to him. "Why would you and your brothers be frightened of ghosts?"

"In our world, ghosts are a rare occurrence, if they're real at all. We're not one hundred percent certain of what happens after death so the thought of the deceased returning.."

"...gives you the jeebies."

"Yes, that." Leonardo wiggles his nose and grins. "I like that word."

"You don't think this is stupid?"

"Hmm? Pardon?"

I lean my head to the right and fondly gaze at him. "This? Talking under the bed?"

"Is that what Zera wants?"

I acknowledge and shirk back, anticipating his response.

He leans his head to the right, also. "It's what Leo wants, too."

"Lady Zera!" Nipal's face snaps between us. "Is anything wrong? May I assist you, if so?"

"No." My eyes didn't leave Leonardo's watch. "We're just conversing. You can help yourself to the food, Nipal."

That little worm wastes no time barreling to the fridge and making all sorts of gawky noises. They fade once Leonardo talks about his past adventures with Utroms, Triceratons, some ooze that mutated his family, Fish people, cyborgs, mafia men, and a nasty joker in armor. I am completely fascinated and drawn into his memories. By the end of it all, we're holding hands, laughing, and poking at each other's cheeks. Nipal runs under the bed, asking if we want fish cream waffles. Leonardo looks disgusted, but I'm rather famished. Too bad our session is interrupted, though..

Nipal rambles while I'm eating, "And he swings his fist at me! Like this! And I utter WHOA! Then I successfully dodge, and only in time for another swing. My glasses go flying and I catch them! Like I'm in the circus! When RomRom and I were in the circus, I was always the catcher and always got compliments. I like those. So I caught my glasses but I stumbled and whacked my hand on his kneecap."

I am interested in Nipal's tiny brilliant adventure, but I briskly eat my sticky waffles, wash my hands, pet Nipal on the head, and return to the bedroom. I'm a little sad that Leonardo has moved above the bed, but he's still enthralled by the gift and I'm happy about that, too.

Laying at his feet on the floor, I grin at him. "May it provide you strength and my good humor."

He tickles me with his feet and chuckles, "Perfect package. And where are you sleeping tonight, O Queen of Under the Bed?"

I point where I'm sitting. "Here."

He clicks his tongue and pats the bed. "Nope. Up here."

"No, I-"

"Not a request." Suddenly, his TWO toes grip my shirt like he was using his hand! I can't escape!

"Nipal is sleeping with us. All of us will sleep together!"

I didn't give up without a fight! I almost made it under the bed, but he grabbed my tail and then apologized profusely when I yodeled with pain. He was sad, and I was sad, and Nipal came into the room sad. We were all sad, and I knew it was my fault so we all curled up together like a giant pathetic ball.

Finally, Leonardo flicks off the light and wraps his arms around my shoulder. "Sweet dreams, my lady Zera."

I'm overheating from all of the bodies mangled together so I kick out my leg and whack a slumbering Nipal in the head. He doesn't even stir.

"Will you miss me?" Leonardo asks, and I'm glad I can't see him in the dark. I already see his gloomy face in my mind.

"What kind of question is that? I'm insulted." I went with smugness this time.

His fingers squeeze my shoulder. "I always wonder if my family misses me."

I'm clueless on the advice front, but his family seemed like they cared to me. I snuggle closer to him, despite feeling like I'm on fire, and close my eyes. "I don't know about them, but I will miss you."

Nipal commences his infamous snoring festival, and I kick him again. It dies down to a whimper. Nothing more is said for a while, but suddenly Leonardo moves and I feel quick, warm lips on my cheek. He just...? Was that a...?

Now I'm sweating like the backside of an elephant after a workout, and my first instinct is to break loose and wreck havoc, but it's a simple, sweet gesture and he doesn't mean to go any further with it. The kiss comforted him, and if he's happy, I can live with it.

I fall asleep in his arms, and I wake up completely wrapped in them.


	18. The Sky of Doom

_This story has been experimental for me in all forms of creative writing. It's been a wild ride, in terms of story and structure. I've had lots of fun with it and hope you have, too. I hope I don't disappoint in the final few chapters. Happy travels! -M._

* * *

Two mates entangled in each others' arms and a drooling pet at their feet: a quirky, touching sight that rifts the new dawn, and usually one of the mates meets the sun every morning but he enjoys the cuddle a little too much. Leonardo opens one eye, peering at the mellow Zera and removes her tiny landfill of hair out of the eyes. In a perfect, romantic world, the lady wakes up to her gentle lover's touch, but instead, she doesn't move. Only Nipal grunts at the foot of the bed and pretends he's running in his sleep. Leo nudges the little rabbit, and he eventually calms down, suckling on his own scraggly ear.

The turtle has no idea how he's going to wake up his friends. When he rose his brothers, he would clap his hands, turn on lights, and shake each one until their brains spilled out of their ears. Those were brothers and not friends. And not a girlfriend. He woke up April one time by combing her hair; that didn't bode well for either one.

"Zera," he whispers into her ear like a telephone, "Zeeeeeera. Wakey, wakey. I want to see your pretty eyes." There. That should do it, he grins.

And... nope. Not even a stir.

He taps her muzzle. "I'll prepare some breakfast for you!"

A lip smack. This is frustrating!

One more try: a smooch on the cheek. No movement. Two more smooches. An ear flick. Three smooches with one on the forehead. One little shift of her arm.

Okay, hardball tactics now, Leonardo concludes, and he presses into her face and playfully bites the tip of her ear. Harder. And harder. As he finally resorts to shaking her awake, all three of them are lunged from the bed and scrambled on the floor. Leonardo gracefully bounces back to his feet and watches Nipal pinwheel and bumble against the wall. Zera growls from the door and stands ready to fight. That got her up.

"Good morning!" Leonardo says, flashing an award-winning smile and waves at Nipal on the ground. "I'm glad we're all up. Would you like some breakfast?"

* * *

Zera and Nipal ravage into their meals on the counter, like a couple of starved zombies. Food arrows everywhere with more of it on the floor than in anyone's mouth. Leonardo shoots both of them a disapproving look, wondering who will be the one to clean the mess. Zera catches the glare and swallows her food quickly.

"Don't worry your pretty morning head off," she mumbles, "I'll do it."

"Actually, I was hoping we could go for a run. You like running, don't you?" He eyes a glass full of pink fluid and sips it, expecting it to taste like stomach medicine but is surprised by the fruity flavor. "You kept up with me the other day during the Rasta Duck marathon. I was impressed."

Nipal reaches for a ball of meat and whimpers, "The Ducks are so vicious! Only you great warriors could live to tell the stories!"

"If you wish." She swallows the same pink juice and leans back in her chair. "We must be going shortly, though. Where we need to go is almost a day's journey, even on Nipal's wings."

"My father taught me to fly! Of all the obstacles in my life, flying felt the most natural to me," Nipal munches on the meatball and beams, "I make money with this talent."

Zera's muzzle splits into a crooked grin, only half amused at a messy Nipal, but Leonardo's kind eyes warms her grumpy demeanor. Jogging with Leonardo Hamato doesn't seem like a bad way to start the day. Besides, by UnderLight, he will be on his way back home and there would be no more worries about his safety or direction. As they leave the Crib and dash through the gaudy Thicket, she muses about his future though, and what sort of fantastic adventure he will find next with new people, skills, and experiences. Perhaps one day he will return to Anavrin with a new set of eyes and heart and catch her up on what she missed.

"Keep up with me, Pup! That's your new nickname," he jokes through short breaths, occasionally peering behind and grinning at the lagging Zera. As much as she wants to kick him for the nickname, it's endearing, and the last few hours they have shouldn't be spent with petty arguments.

She avoids a plump caterpillar playing a piano on a leaf and snarks back at her opponent, "You'll have to do better than that if you want a rise out of me. Maybe women back in your world cry over something so insignificant."

"I don't know many women in my world so it's a moot point."

"You don't need a woman. They only slow you down!"

Leonardo sidesteps a marching line of prairie dogs. He jogs in place as Zera grudgingly brings up the rear. "I get your point very clearly! You do slow me down."

She ricochets pass him, taking a shot at being in the lead for a short time, but she quickly returns to her old spot as the Bullet Turtle races back to the leading position. They compete through more laps and it eventually leads them outside the thicket and into a clearing. Three hills later, Zera calls it quits and dumps herself on top of the second mound.

"You're the only person I've ever known who has jogged up a hill both ways! How did we do that?" she mumbles over her sweaty arm. He rests beside her, panting a little harder this time.

"I like challenges, and it seemed like you needed one, too."

The pair catch their breath and stare across the mundane landscape. It certainly isn't as colorful as the nearby Blue Sung Thicket and Is painted mostly with colors of gold and amber. Leonardo inspects the wavy sky, wondering if home is just beyond those vivid borders and if his family is patiently waiting behind them. He feels a pair of small eyes on him and breaks his concentration to meet with them.

Zera blinks at his warmness and snuggles with her arms. "I didn't notice you were wearing the necklace. It looks good on you. I was worried it might look too feminine."

A breeze sweeps across the hill and brushes across the feathers in his necklace; he leans toward her, a calm look gracing his eyes. "I want to go home with a part of you attached to me," he smiles as his fingers slide down the necklace. "Are you okay? I can be brutal with workouts."

She rests on one elbow and gazes at him. "Is it possible for you to finish a sentence without worrying about me?"

He studies every pattern of fur from her muzzle to her forehead, the mangled whiskers, and tired but sparkling beady black eyes. He didn't mean to fall in love with her or even act on his feelings. Warriors shouldn't have adolescent crushes or waste their time on romances. It's not in the Code and there is no room for broken hearts. The wind barely touches his cheeks again before he presses into her lips, squishing his beak into her muzzle. He silently begs for Zera not to flail and turn away, and he can safely relax as she shakily returns his wet embrace.

The sweet moment is abruptly over as the hill shakes beneath them. Leonardo releases and is alarmed by a prodigious moon in the sky. "Did that thing just..?"

Zera nods, giggling, "Our moon is a little blind in his old age. It explains why there's so much chaos and confusion here lately. It also happens when he gets too close."

He couldn't rip his eyes away from the massive, hovering lump. "I'd say...!"

* * *

Upon his masters' return, Nipal notices something different about them: how close they stand next to each other, long glances, and big smiles. Never in his life has he seen Lady Zera so calm and relaxed, except the time when she was enchanted by a spell and saw a buffet full of coconut goldfish but he distinctly remembers that she wasn't relaxed and mostly giddy and bouncy. The nervous rabbit wonders if his masters are suffering from the dreadful Rovref epidemic. _RomRom died of the same illness_, he worries and pops into his flying walrus form, _so it is essential to guide the masters to the Dreamlight Vista and use the Littos' magic to cure them!_

High heels dig into his plump head; Zera peers down at him. "What are we thinking, Nipal? Will you share with the group?"

"Um, um, um!" he rattles in his skin, shaking Zera's short tuxedo dress and glittery silver hat, "Are—are you well, Lady Zera? Y-your eyes are p-puffy!"

She wants, intensely, to dig her feet deeper into his skin and call him a buffoon, but his face burns of sympathy and concern, and it stops her from causing bodily harm. "I have never slept with two people before so it was a rough night. Yes. Uh-"

Nipal blinks, ceasing his tattered nerves over her rare indecisiveness.

She straightens and looks forward. "Thank you for your concern."

Leonardo hops onto Nipal and pats his side. "Let's get this show on the road. We trust you, Honest Rabbit. And nice dress, Zera." He peers at her muscular legs and reminisces. "You're wearing the dress and hat again like old times."

"Life makes a fine clockwise pattern. It feels right do this. To send you back the way you met us," she turns and softly smiles. He returns the gesture with a salute and taps her sparkly hat in the sunshine. With this, Zera signals Nipal to ride the skies. It's a shaky start since Nipal had big eyes and a tiny tummy for his breakfast. Zera and Leonardo are almost gassed off their ride!

After the rocky start, Air Walrus drifts through the whipped skies. A peek into the past few days, Leonardo is reminded of the bizarre events, and mostly wonders if he is indeed dreaming. It all began in the murky waters with the fanged mermaid, or Litto as they are named in this world, and one step after another into Anavrin's abyss. He had to be dreaming but then he and his brothers have visited other worlds. How did he get here? Leonardo Hamato can't remember anything prior to the Litto's attack, and meditation hadn't produced any concrete results.

Zera stands before him, guiding Nipal, and Leonardo, sitting, touches her ankle and squeezes gently. She notices but doesn't respond. He overlooks the passing ground, witnessing the Blue Sung Thicket gradually shrinking into a jagged shape in the distance. Nothing but golden plains now, and further ahead, darker clouds and giant hills. Yes, that's where the threat will be: always with the sinister sky and bleak unknown. He can hear waves cracking in the distance and as they gain more speed and closer to the edge, his heart's sharp beats sync with the water's drums. His fingers push a little deeper into Zera's ankle, and she acknowledges him.

"You will never be alone, Leonardo."

He spends much too long smiling back at her, and a vicious, undetected threat rumbles beneath them. Nipal's wails tear through the sky and the riders desperately hold on as huge, slimy black tentacles clamber around the frantic walrus. Immediately, the Rook reaches for Zera, who violently rocks back and forth and tries calming Nipal unsuccessfully.

Leonardo kicks and punches at the tentacles, quickly conjuring up any escape plan. "They're coming from everywhere!" He touches one, feeling its thick scaly surface against his fingertips; he peeks over the edge. "Completely dark down there! Are you okay, Zera? Nipal! Stay strong!"

Snarls bellow from the growth, scaring Nipal even more, and whimpers escape his quivering lips. Zera steadies herself and lies down on Nipal's back, patting and rubbing him, "Be still, be silent. If I remember correctly, they feed off one's fear and trauma. Sssssh, steady, my Reformer. Steaaaady."

A few moments later after Zera's comforting words, the tentacles cease their intrusion, and all appears normal, save for enormous lassos around Nipal's hovering body. Leonardo balances on one knee, spreading his arms at his side. He glances over at Zera, returning his confused gaze. It's premature to celebrate or announce victory, and the troubling darkness below their feet kicks the settling dust in their minds.

Nipal chokes on his words, the fear tickling his throat as much as the tentacle wrapped around it. "Is... is it .. o-over? It- it... mmm.." the walrus closes his eyes and swallows hard, "...it feels so cold down- down there."

"Sssssh," Zera soothes his worries, rolling her fingers over his skin. "I won't let anyone hurt you."

"Just – just... please.." Nipal's throat collapses. Zera tiredly sighs into his neck.

Leonardo rubs on the walrus as well, whispering, "Maybe we can move these things now, gently move them, and hopefully we can depart without a hitch."

Nipal's eyes floats in warm tears; his riders can feel the anxiety simmering off his skin. He blurts, rather hoarsely, "...please don't let me suffer. End – end it quickly. That is all I a-ask."

Upon hearing the simple but powerful request, Zera's heart plummets into her stomach, and the only thing she does is send a sad glance to Leonardo. His face isn't nearly as devastated as hers, but it's met with a note of sympathy. She sits up and squeezes Nipal's skin between her hairy fingers, reaching for any sense of comfort for her Reformer. Nothing came through her tongue at all.

Leonardo can no longer stand the silence and being sitting ducks, so he takes a wild chance and shoves against a tentacle. He grunts against the force, squeezing air through his nostrils and clenching his teeth. "Like moving a brick wall!" he groans, and relents after a few more tries. The snarling from the trap brews again, awakening their concerns of another attack, and the tentacles roll around Nipal, twice as fast and in a more sinister motion.

Zera rockets to her feet and kicks as many as she can plant her feet on, furiously beating her fight into every one of them. "Leave him alone, Monsters! Leave him ALONE!"

Leonardo catches a different kind of movement in the void, and his eyes didn't have time to follow the events: slimmer, fleeting gold tentacles cruising out of the depth, shielding more of Nipal's surface area, and the sound of a thousand horses stampeding through the rippled sky. The noise breaks his concentration. He can't even hear Zera and Nipal's screams anymore, even as Zera's mouth is as wide as it can go. She's being pulled away, and all of his senses are having a difficult time catching up with his brain. Everything moves like it's in a silent film. He reaches for her hand, and he could normally rescue her in a heartbeat, but the tentacles already have his legs seized. His upper torso jolts with Nipal's tantrum, and, similar to a steady minute hand, Leonardo's vision, his world, swings on its head.

They are completely upside down and with their heads only inches away from the unknown, muddling shadows. Everything remains static, as if the world is the only thing that rotates. If the tentacles release him, would he fall into the black hole, or whatever it is? There didn't seem to be any time for thoughts to catch up with the events. Battling upside down... now that's a little new, he scoffs, viewing his surroundings cautiously. The shadows grope around their fortress, like tiny spiders, and the landscape regresses into the void, dry of its color and overwhelmed.

"Leonardo!" Her faint voice tickles in his right ear, followed by a series of grunts. He can't see her from the enveloping darkness. "Don't be fooled by this monster's simple tricks!" His legs weaved by the tentacles, the struggling Turtle's brain falls short of the race against time. Nipal and Zera's voices fade, fade, fade so far away, and just a miniscule part of his soul craves defeat, if only it might send him back home; maybe even wake up from this nightmare, or back to the warm bed with a sweet, dependable lady by his side and a loyal pet at his feet. As quickly as the Evil binds him, Leonardo's stomach turns chilly, firmly chastising him for thinking of abandoning his comrades. He wiggles in place, gradually more and more, and Zera's cries can no longer be heard over the swell of darkness in his ears. Where is the chance to save them? There's always that slim margin of chance. Think, Leo, _concentrate_! With all of the noise thundering in the air and a deafening collision nearby, he almost doesn't feel the odd fresh breeze tickling on his cheek. It jerks him awake.

A pair of large, inky eyes burn into his soul; Leonardo flinches and waits for his vision to clear. "Nipal? You're a rabbit again?"

"Oh, Master Rook, I tried my b-best to save her, b-b-but..." Nipal trembles in his red coat, tucking away his huge glasses. Leonardo notices they're back on the ground, and he follows Nipal's frightful glances between the ground and sky. In the midst of orbital beauty, the clump of darkness and its tentacles groan, turning on its axis and slowly retracting its fangs. No longer feeling a constriction of any kind, Leonardo returns to his feet, never letting the threat out of his sight.

"The monster still has her?"

"I'm afraid," Nipal swallows, "that she might have already ex—expired. The monster rejected you and she used the opportunity to s—save me." He hangs his head low, sniffling. "This Redeemer is not worthy. It … it should have been me."

"It should be nobody." Leonardo tilts his head slightly, following the moving target across the sky. "I won't believe she's dead until I see a body. That's the first rule of thumb."

Nipal wipes his eyes with a wrinkled yellow handkerchief and muddles his steps behind Leonardo. "I already miss her pretty smile and the way she kicked me and kept me in line. I liked that toughness about Lady Zera. She was a dear friend to me..." His forehead bumps into Leonardo's leg and he peers up at the quiet turtle. "R—Rook, are you upset with m- me?"

"Why are you talking about her like she's already gone?" His sharpness frightens Nipal, causing the rabbit to shuffle backwards. "She told you to be strong and you should. We don't give up on our friends."

"Y-yes..." furry hands merry-go-round nervously, "yes, you're right. I'm sorry-"

Leonardo hooks his head upwards, glaring into the flying dark mass. "Trade your troubles for a sword, and have faith in steady hands."

Nipal's ears peak from curiosity, and assembling in Leonardo's graceful anchor before the rabbit's very eyes is Sinai, a brilliant testament of the young man's resolve to save a lost friend. Sinai's beauty is unmistakable with its fine twirls of gold, silver, and majestic white. The leery darkness steers from the cutting beacon and is caught off-guard when the beacon launches from the ground and catapults into its twisted form. Nipal can't rip his eyes away from the spectacular light show. Sparkles populate the air from impact, and he intently watches the monster garble and retaliate Leonardo wielding Sinai. The rabbit almost crushes his hands from holding them so tightly, and each force from Sinai echoes across the land, curling his toes into the ground. Leonardo the mighty Rook has shown his true form!

The young turtle's journey through the labyrinth of tentacles exhilarates him. Monstrous heaps of rolling growth scream under the crystal fire, and each of his swings forges the threat into a memory. He calls her name, multiple times, into and over the currents and is careful not to push through before a second, or third, glance. The monster crushes under the sky, reaching its arms as far into the wilderness and yearning for anyone to save it, but its misery is short-lived. Every extension is severed, disappearing before it hits the ground, under the two blades of a young man's power and determination.

His feet catapult off the final tentacle and he aims the sword high under the monster. His hands as steady as they have ever been, Leonardo shouts over the creature's wails, "Release the last one you ingested or I will rip her out of you!"

It responds with the speed of a new avalanche, "No... longer ... here."

His teeth cracks under the pressure, "Then let me pass."

"Relinquish.." the voice gains haunting momentum, "...your weapon."

Hesitation is a small bubble inside his chest, and it dies as soon as his tired green hands obey the dark one's order. The two-spear headed Sinai whistles down to Anavrin, and as the brittle, worm-like newborn tentacles slowly cover his body, he sees a vision of a desert landscape and a tiny fennec fox awaiting him.


	19. DesertWolf

Everything once fresh, green, and draping in mildew in the forests of his mind weaves into the dry winds of a spiteful desert. Leonardo shakes away the curiosity and, instead, targets on a small fennec fox in the middle of this landscape. Did Zera change into a normal fox again, he wonders as the creature scratches its ear, but there isn't water for her anywhere. Nowhere! But it has to be somewhere, like a watering hole, or since this is Anavrin, Land of the Weird, he can wait for a group of politicians or Girl Scouts carrying buckets of water. Anything, just anything to retain some sense of balance again.

Once he tries stepping forward, his feet hit the ground as hard as lead. No other limbs budge, and he panics when seeing the fox scampering in the opposite direction. Calling her name multiple times doesn't work.

"What is this!" he screams into the stifling air, the pretty blue sky now stinging his vision. "I honored my end of the bargain; now you do the same! You promised to release her!"

The wind mocks him, giggling in wispy bursts, and faint glimpses of sparkles twist above his head. Cloth hovers on his sides, an anomaly he's quick to judge since he wasn't wearing anything before, and as he peers behind him, a mystical element befalls his sight: the cape he's wearing is an extension of the very desert scape. No wonder he can't move! It's all a dream, or a fragment of the real dream, or more than likely, he's losing his marbles to Anavrin's essence.

Because if this is all truly a dream...

...then she's not real, either.

"What could you change to make your dreams come true?" The voice strikes like a sharp blade with the last word resonating in his ears. Suddenly, the desert feels hollow around him, although it's not changed in presence. The cape loosens its grip around his shoulders, and he immediately leans forward, ready to go at any moment. "How far will you go?"

"As far as I need to go, Faceless One," Leonardo breathes, closing his eyes, "I know that Fate is unkind, and doesn't discriminate. I'm here because of a reason. Everything has a reason."

"You believe," the Faceless voice seeps into his head, prickling the fabric of his nerves, and sync with the turtle's increasing heartbeat, "in an absolute Design, that the gifts you so delicately prepare will bend the world in your favor. Simple Turtle, you know so much but execute very little of it."

Faceless' voice and words breed darker, sporadic thoughts for Leonardo the 'Rook', who is without a helping hand. Hiding underneath human feet for so many years and protecting the footsteps behind them, wondering where roads lead, how far he can push his training, familial relationships, trusting the right people for friendship, elevating his sense of worth, overcoming temptations, and if his family will ever accept things the way they are, even Raphael, flash behind his eyes.

No... no, maybe it's his own heart who has a tougher time surrendering, he realizes as his eyelids part and gaze upon the eve of a desert storm.

"I miss you, my child," Faceless moans and evolves from the sand, forming a grainy image of Master Splinter. The base reaches great lengths on both sides, further than his naked eye could see, and Splinter towers into the air and his distorted black eyes bare into Leonardo's frame. His father's presence overwhelms him, and he drops to one knee, yet never rips his eyes away from the storm._ "_You are resisting, and your defiance saddens me."

"Sensei," he begins softly, and his childhood innocence bubbles forth, "...Father, I'm lost and this maze is -"

"Your heart is gravitating towards another." Sand bits rumble with the Sensei's stern words, "It is foolish to encourage this behavior."

The Rook's throat burns, and the sand oozes between his fingers as they clench the earth in torment. "What is real then? If this is a dream, why would you say such polar opposites to me, Father? First, you accepted her, and now you..." his voice catches, barely able to finish the rest, "...discipline me?" He would rather cast away his swords than disrespect his elder; however, a very tiny, but steadily growing, part of his being screams for the chance to explain and, ultimately, understand.

"Have you forgotten my teachings and the wisdom I offered to you, my brave child?"

"No, of course not-"

A sand-quake croaks beneath their feet. Its sinister backdrop pushes fire on Faceless Splinter's temper; he snarls, "Mute your words until your master is finished! The Yen Room was nothing but your own fantasies, and fantasies of a undignified young man. Your actions shame those who have worked hard to lead you down the right path."

The storm, the sand, and face and voice of his Master intimidates Leonardo, and his eyes remain unbalanced. It's nearly impossible to conjure any words, anything at all, to the Father, even if, by chance, it's only in his head so he resolves to muting his words, as Father demands.

"We will meet strangers and mold some into our souls," Splinter continues, his form increasingly whipping and binding together, "but even if we feel strongly for a fraction of those strangers, it is not wise to act on such emotions prematurely."

Yes, she was... is, a stranger, he realizes and sincerely faces through the sand waves and into a bleak eastern horizon, and maybe he did trust her too easily because of his predicament. She opened her arms, as jagged as they were, for him and promised to help him. What is falling in love anyways? What did he fall in love with? Her gratitude? Is he even in love? Love is a huge, endless cocoon with tiny butterflies squeezing from its gates, and it shouldn't be said or taken lightly.

"Your life is dedicated to the Warrior, and your swords are not only the defense, but a graceful shield. When you choose a person to protect, it is the skin, the muscles, and the blood from your body, and it is ingrained to your core until all the blood evaporates."

He feels his eyes balancing again as his view is clouded, and grain descents from Splinter and on his head. It stings like needles, and his knees soon quiver from the approaching sharpness on the desert floor.

This landscape is going to eat him alive, if his fortune doesn't change quickly.

"She remains here, Leonardo, in a make-believe land, and you rise from a cold slumber."

He can taste the environment now, and an oddity slithers beneath his skin. He raises his arm for closer inspection, and tiny brown spiders, or insects or something, dig out of his pores and race wildly across his body. More and more and more, and they move so fast, and eventually consume his upper torso. All sand, he concludes, and it mutates in his mouth until gagging and puking is the only relief.

"Stop fighting against me, my son."

Before the storm can devour his brain, Leonardo reaches into seeded memories, and through every lesson, lecture, and confrontation, he never recalls a time when Splinter discourages a rescue or doubts a steadfast feeling, even if death is a possible consequence. _Death follows them with hammer and nails_, Mikey's old joke whispers in his clogging ears, and the team's resolve has always been to fight until the last organ stops pumping.

Faceless Splinter hesitates momentarily and levitates a few feet above Leonardo's body, anticipating his turtle "son's" next move.

The Rook spits and gags through the thick sand in his mouth, "I'll wake up..."

The assault wears thin, and Splinter's form unravels at its molecules and materializes into the Faceless Voice, perching high on a granulated pegasus.

"...when I get damn ready!" he coughs particles from his mouth, heavily salivating and retching. From his toes and stopping right at his chin, his body temperature chills, and purging the sand sends ripples of icy shock through his nerves. It's not the worst pain he's ever felt, but it rattles his stomach fiercely. Regaining a sense of balance is a conflict between his legs and brain, similar to two elks competing over the chance to dominate. There is no winner here, even if he breaks free from the terror-scape, rescues the lady, and flies out of Anavrin on wings of stars and thunder. Heartbreak is imminent; loss is absolute.

Parting the sand in uneven clumps, the form of a Mouser machine targets at him, snapping its jaws, whipping sand into the storm, and skirting towards him. His legs still wouldn't obey, and as the Mouser gains speed in both its own legs and jaw like a vicious sand shark, Leonardo respires his fluids and grime, his brain feeling like it might explode at any moment from the pressure, and shoves his head into the Mouser, gnawing and slashing it to pieces. The monster keeps returning, another one each time and he never relents, either. Hordes of sand mousers surround him, all itching to devour him, and they crawl and snap, buzzing around him.

Leonardo can hardly breathe in the storm, and he can't see beyond the mousers anymore. He growls in his heart, feeling like a fool for getting stuck inside a fortress of make-believe sand and wind. Why is he scared of a little storm? Raph, Mikey, Don. They wouldn't be scared of this little nightmare or these silly mousers, and _sand_ mousers, to be exact.

Deceitful laughter overtakes the storm's cries. The new eyes in the middle of the storm apprehend Leonardo, drowning the tempest to a dull clamor. Like soldiers, the mousers clump together and give form to the brain and voice they've only ever known: Baxter Stockman, with his departed eyes and vicious lips breaking through the mounds of rotating sand. Nothing but cackling and jeers, the same old looney Stockman, even in this Blunderland.

Leonardo stabs his arms through the air."That's annoying. Go away!" Every time his mouth opens, it invites more dirt, but being able to snap at Stockman is worth the risk. The lunatic's own body has been mutilated and carved into prosthetics; the sand and the wind seem fitting for a new Stockman anatomy. It's the logical next step.

Only, the retort fuels Stockman's deranged antics, and the noise aggravates his tender stomach. More sand scorches on a roller coaster ride through his throat, clawing its way through his mouth and nostrils. Tears fester through his eyes and as they roll down his face, they cut like blades against his cheeks. Sand cakes everywhere and leeches out of his pores, festering in his organs, bloating and crushing him. His body sinks further, with Stockman and the mousers slowly disappearing from the feet up to their heads, but the noise stings and churns inside his being.

_Why am I losing control? How is this possible? It's overwhelming. When am I going to wake up?_

Those same words repeat until the darkness arrives and the suffocating environment muffles all brain activity. No sight, no smell, and very little thought.

_Wake up..._

At least the suffocation pauses, giving time for ragged breaths.

_Need to live..._

Dry and barren, he swallows as slow as possible.

_...this is going to take a while._

Leonardo holds for many turns, and when the earth rumbles beneath him again, he has utilized the time given to him, and a plan awaits for his enemies.

* * *

A landscape of treachery and skilled secrets, the desert claims victory over the fresh soul. The turtle bravely resisted its suffering, and the poignant struggle tastes divine, fueling its withering cracks. Life can now slowly return to, even heal, a destitute embodiment. Absorbing the soul will take a long time, but the wait will be far less than the time an opportunity finally presented itself.

_Yes, this one will do perfectly, such an exceptional blend of maturity and innocence. Seventeen years of life will provide an acceptable morsel, _the desert stirs in anticipation, moaning and curling the ends of its sandy reaches. The belly ruptures, disturbing contents around it and crackling the air, firing dust a few meters. The world is ravenous and is hasty for its bait.

Leonardo feels the sprinkles of ground bounce off his shoulders, and keeping his head and eyes low, he anchors hard against the quake. His mind remains mostly quiet, aside from the spills of earth grumbling in his ears. The wait is next to forever, but eventually the notorious view of a haughty desert enemy creeps back to his limited, but clear, vision.

The curtain rises, and now it's showtime.

If the environment infests his body, why can't he take advantage of it, too? He swiftly grabs both handfuls of sand and crafts a magnificent bow and arrow in the air. The target is locked in his sights, and the desert thrashes around him.

"You parasite!" it threatens and sends a mighty storm against him, "you're too weak in your world, and you're even weaker here!"

His eyes are on fire from the storm, but his heart burns brighter. "I will save myself, the girl, and go home. I can go two ways: through your mouth or through your ass. No more games! Choose!"

The desert's anger strikes at him, enough to knock the burn out of his heart and into his stomach. The bow and arrow dissolves out of his grip, and a deafening chuckle pounds in his ears. Something slithers around his ankles, gravitating up each leg. Tentacles, he dreadfully remembers and materializes a knife from the sand, pushing himself against the storm, and cuts into the threat, practically attacking blind. A short worth taking!

It works, something does anyways, when the desert viciously punches him in the jaw. Leonardo almost laughs at his predicament, stopping himself only because he chokes on the sand in his mouth and throat. He spits until it hurts too much to spit anymore.

Anything his hands can spawn from the sand, even katanas, he lashes against the enemy. Each time, the sand becomes needles in his hands, worse with each attempt, until the enemy retracts every sand particle from the floor. Leonardo sits on his quivering knees, balancing on his knuckles, and never looking away from his target. Towers of sand stand over him and out of reach, no amount of jumping or running towards the weapons help. His enemy controls it all. Completely.

And his quivering knee doesn't shake only from the physical toll. Leonardo breathes through the thick air, _this is a little worrying now. I guess he means business, too._

His courageous heart kick-starts the flame again, but it staggers when familiar, dark faces pierce from the walls of sand: Hun, Bishop, and Stockman, all growing taller and wider. Mousers crowd at their feet, snapping their grainy jaws again, and the enemies scream at him, none in unison, and only random insults and threats. He can't understand anyone.

"Come at me then!" Leonardo vaults on his feet, limited balance returning, and stands ready to attack. Only, none of them moves towards him, and instead, conglomerate into thick mud, shooting heavy bullets in his direction. He dodges the first set of five, strikes at a near miss with the sixth, and it bruises his fist since it feels like punching a brick wall. The missiles fire incredibly fast, and he dodges as many as he can, taking a few more hits to the shoulders and legs. Eventually, he uses his own shell as a shield and blocks his head until his next move. Too many of those missiles are being blown at him, and soon, they'll have to stop... soon, he hopes.

His shell creaks under the pressure, and the pain devours him. His screams are fuel for their torment, and the missiles push harder. He watches cords of sand vomit from his mouth, slopping on the bare, rocky floor, and the idea finally strikes him as quickly as the next missile. The sand _inside_ his body belongs to the enemy, too.

_It's my final chance_, Leonardo resolves, gagging himself,_ and while I have my standards, I want to see my family again. _

Some of the next missile's charge collides with his skull and he curls in agony.

_And her... my pretty lady, and hero, too._

Enough regurgitated sand and mixed mud clumps bubble at his feet, and he scoops into his hands, creating a sword and a shield large enough to protect his body. His heart beats solidly again, even through the misery and turmoil.

But the missiles have ceased, and as he peeks over the shield, the familiar faces are one giant nightmare: the Shredder, guising as a monstrous sand dragon with eyes as real, cold, and dead as ever. Leonardo freezes for a moment, taken back by the sudden change, but thaws into the hero he needs to be: to save himself and to save her.

The Shredder dragon moves with powerful tracks, smashing into the walls and brushing dangerously close to Leonardo. His sword impels as trained as he can manage, with the sand slowly consuming him from the feet up. Small blows aren't damaging the dragon, and it cruises along the death highway, roaring and snorting sand through its cave of nostrils. With all of the walls down and trapping the young turtle, the dragon dives for its last strike.

When it hits him, Leonardo replays the eyes coming closer and engrossing him. The sand reaches to his chest, making it harder to swing at the opponent, and his final chance slips out of his grasp. Shredder has his bitter revenge. The jaws drape him in foul-smelling darkness and when they clasp over his body, it slams the breath out of his bruised body. He's still alive, barely breathing, but the blood still flows and the brain is wet and beating.

He feels a cool rush sensation running up his throat, along the veins in his arms and settling at his fingertips. Water. It feels like water, and the coolness regresses icy and brisk. The liquid sensation bristles on his fingertips, and he rubs them slightly, water trickling from them. Tears roll out of his eyes, drain out of his beak, and stream from the corners of his mouth. Inky patches of sand appear around him where the water is leaking; he watches the fluid gain momentum and gush out of his pores, like mini-waterfalls cascading into the dirt.

It keeps coming, bleeding out of him until he passes out in the middle of a seemingly-quiet desert, the remnants of a massive storm all but a memory.


	20. SnowMaiden

Lifting her stiff neck from the snow, Zera groggily watches little red dribbles freckle the ground. She spits the blood off her muzzle and glares through her haze. What kind of enchantment has been planted on her now? Her small black eyes scan the vividness of the artic sheet. Nothing for miles and miles but pure white and a few magnificent mountains in the distance, sparkling grand into an aqua sky.

"Leonardo! Nipal!" Her pitiful cries sprint only so far from her own mouth, and she chooses a direction to move instead, the right, and steers forward into the pearly blaze. Why does it feel like her ankles have weights on them? Each step is a struggle, even for her athletic standards, and her temper is growing thin at the frustration and confusion. It's too cold to be a dream, or a nightmare. She never knew this place existed; Anavrin's tropical climate doesn't allow any room for the cold and it vehemently rejects votes in the Crocus Ring every year. It's why she settled in Anavrin: warm temperatures, cool water, and the best coconut goldfish in the land; these thoughts keep her toasty inside, along with her frilly, silvery cloak and a snug earflap winter hat, protecting her sensitive ears. She inspects the clothing, not remembering where she got it from because she doesn't own anything like it or recalls stopping at a store. They're pretty and warm, but they weigh a ton!

"I have to return to him," Zera mumbles as the blizzard stabs against her cheeks. "I was a fool for fighting against a strong enemy alone. Forgive me, my Rook. I'll return and send you back to your family."

One boot drops into the snow, and she's stuck. It's already difficult enough to move. "Dammit!" she hisses, pulling against the force. "What is this? I'm not freezing out here! Get out, you stupid foot!" She growls and yanks harder until her hat zips into the wind. "Ahh! Come back!" Her ears flap around her face and blinds her momentarily. "I hate these stupid things!"

After squishing her ears against the sides of her icicled face, a huge presence rests in her field of vision. A giant paw clutches her hat and holds it out to her. "Did you drop this, my lady?" a gravelly but kind voice asks her. She is cautious, gently taking the hat and tugging her ears under it.

"Yes, thank you."

His face is recognizable now: a gray and white polar bear, which explains the size, and he doesn't look particularly mad, or hungry. "What is a young lady such as yourself doing here? No one comes to these parts." Donning a massive brown parka and boots big enough to fill twenty Zeras in, the polar bear leans over the smaller fox, blocking the wind from her face, which is a welcomed relief at least.

Her teeth chatters a nervous reply, "Lost my w-way. Thank y-you. G-goodbye."

"Please, my lady," his words, very warm and convincing as she tracks through the harsh weather and steadily leaving him behind, "I'll give you a roof and a map to help you. My shelter isn't far from here."

Zera slows and eventually stops, peering into the white abyss. His voice reminds her of a compassionate role model from her past swirling a deep fondness under her chest and stinging rather hard. She cringes and only half-turns towards him; the wind sizzles her eyes. "I ... can't..."

"But, little snow maiden, what good would your frozen body do wherever it is you're going?"

"No.." she whispers through her teeth. "Home.."

The friendly polar bear offers his wooly paw. "We'll get you there."

* * *

A soft, clarion melody arouses Zera from a hard sleep. Misplaced warmness fans her cheeks; she rises from slumber, eyes peering through frosted glass and taking moments before she can see clearly again. The storm had briefly killed her senses, and a shot of urgency rings through her body. _Escape!_, it pleads to her, and before she can stand on her two shaky legs, the melody stops.

"Maiden, I have fish for you." The polar bear samaritan and his grandfatherly voice, she remembers. Through mid leap, Zera peers at her graceful host, sitting behind a calm fire with an instrument in his steady grip. "Did the flute disturb you?"

She relaxes, but her eyes dart around the tight, icy cavern, taking in its snake-like construction and low ceiling. The polar bear host even hunches over, the tip of his parka swiping the roof, and his fingers glide over, upon closer inspection, a bamboo flute. From there, her eyes move across the fire and back to the cave's entrance, a hole just large enough for a big creature such as the polar bear to enter but it would need to duck. Every corner of the cavern is jagged and could pierce through the toughest cloth. She's surprised at getting any sleep, feeling an uneven ground under her wooly gloves, like suspended waves of a frozen terrain.

He breaks through her numb thoughts. "The wind sounds scary out there, doesn't it?" A sharp crackle from his turning the fish in the fire jerks her more awake. "I'm not sure how long this storm will last. I have enough to eat here, for the both of us."

"You are very kind, but I'm not hungry," she lies, blocking out the succulent smell and ignoring feisty stomach growls, "and I must go. Now."

"Maiden," his feelings a little bruised, apparent through a dry rumble in his voice, "you are flushed and dizzy. Please have some fish before you go." He holds up a worn satchel. "I have my special spices, and that's a rare occurrence!"

She stands on her feet, but the dizziness strikes between her eyes so quickly and her footing almost throws her into the fire. He catches her with one hand before she's injured and sets her down in the old spot, now chilled. Frustrated, Zera shakes off the hood and smacks herself a few times. "Not now! Come on... come on..." The self abuse intensifies an expanding migraine, and her anguish bubbles behind her eyelids. "I'm sorry... I want to save you, Leonardo, but my body is failing." Her words spiral into a hoarse whisper, and she leans against the uncomfortable wall.

"Now, now..." the host removes a piece of fish and places it in her anxious lap, smiling, "your body needs nourishment. That's all. Eat."

Aroma from the cooked fish viciously tempts her. When she lifts it to her mouth and gnaws into the flesh, the frightful wind disappears, and she only hears the sound of consumption. The fish is instantly devoured, and she licks the tiny bones for every last morsel. A fraction of her strength returns, allowing her a better view in the cave. Interestingly, her host has a peg leg, it resting against the wall beside him, and a moderate collection of tools and weapons in his possession, too. The fire's light arches over the weapons, but the rest of the cave is sprayed in darkness.

Zera turns back to the entrance, spitting out a bone and forlornly watching the storm, "How long can someone survive out there?"

He tosses the second fish behind her and peers into the storm with her. "Not very long at all. You need survival gear and adequate shelter. The coat you have on won't even protect you."

"I don't believe he has any gear," she mumbles, forgetting about the food.

"Then, his chances are very slim."

Her throat catches, "Yeah.. but he's strong. He'll find shelter and food. He's a survivor. If I found one, he could!"

The host raises the flute to his chin and positions his massive fingers on it. "This is the only cave for miles around, little Snow Maiden."

"Then he is on the other side," she idly dismisses as the flute trickles melody into the cave. "Rooks won't perish so easily, especially him..." She remembers his smile and confidence, and grins inside at the silly thought she always has of him being a lighthouse on the seafront, a night watchman, a savior for the weak, and the list of cheesy names goes on forever. She will never tell him that; there are some thoughts and feelings guarded specifically for her. These light hearted thoughts keep him close to her, despite any great distance.

The wistful music flowing through her ears muffles everything; a sound so familiar and revealing, Zera's strong grip against the wall loosens and she slides back to the ground, landing in a gentle heap. Her mind pulses warnings, low at first and then gaining volume, but as the music continues, a part of herself breaks and sinks into an old memory.

* * *

The dirty, haggard ceiling looks the same as it always did, whipping a pot of uncomfortable feelings. She studies the ceiling closer: each crack and mildew drop upon its familiar surface pulls her deeper, and she doesn't struggle. Remembering what happens when one tries struggling under that ceiling paralyzes her. Or, in all honesty, she is frightened of reverting back to a delicate, mindless young one. Seeing the ceiling again... will it reverse time?

_No longer am I the buttered child afraid of ghosts. Be strong!_ She swallows a spoonful of fear and inhales deeply. _My teachers trained me well, especially the fierce Doyen Gurion. He was strict, but fair when he could be, and I'm a better person because of his training._

Gurion's kind, electric eyes and impressive build blossom in her mind, distracting her from the cold wall. His superb black and white mane insured his top place in society; those enormous talons, she recalls, were vicious and deadly, slashing through opponents as easily as the wind. His students and career were his existence. Proud and assertive, Gurion never wasted his time on weak people and mundane causes; there was a never finishing line in his eye. He attained his perfect form shortly before death: a fighter on all fours, hulky eyebrows, whiskers, and ears, antennas of fur swimming in the same direction, talons ready for blood, menacing teeth, and eyes that lost deserted memories and focused only on the kill. She missed him as the teacher who made her stand up after a lost battle and as the man she admired for his devotion to what he loved the most.

Zera opens her eyes again, staring into the same filthy wall, and missing Gurion's stern yet relieved face whenever she got knocked the hell out from flapping her lips at the wrong person. The memory is enough to make her smile behind the anxiety.

Another set of eyes peer down at her. They aren't alien to her, but the deep brown eyes definitely remind her of another's gaze.

"My son.." the eyes blink. The voice is so gentle and smooth, she almost drifts back to sleep. "Stay awake, my son. Do not leave us again."

Is he calling her his son? There must be a mistake. She's not male!

A second voice barges through, intense and alarmed. "If you go back to sleep, I'll bust that pretty face! Now STAY awake!" Eyes belonging to that barbaric voice hover above her; a pair of golden eyes that are literally on fire and spitting on her face. She immediately fights back, but can't speak. She can't scream at the person who threatened her!

"He's moving! Raph, get out of the way!" A third voice, also alarmed but smoother around the edges. Blue eyes push the yellow ones away, and the brown eyes drifts into the corner of her vision. She doesn't want the familiar, pleasant brown eyes to leave her. Everything is so stiff, even her own eyes, and all she can stare at is the damn wall!

The next voice is a little lower than the previous one, slightly less alarmed, and the eyes are also brown and calculating. "All of you move! Sensei, I'm sorry, but excuse me." A bright burst of light jabs her and blocks out vision for a short time. "Pupils are reacting. I think he's-"

"About time he woke up!"

"Shut up, Raph! It's not his fault!"

"QUIET!"

She's fairly certain the first set of brown eyes with the gentle voice silenced everyone in the room, but she's too nervous to care anymore. Who do they believe she is? All sets of the distressed eyes float over her now.

"My son, your family is here and we miss you. Come, Leonardo. Return to us."

* * *

Flute noises abruptly halt as Zera jolts from her coma and scuttles around the ice cave, twitching and whimpering. The polar bear helplessly watches her snatch his peg leg and point it at him over the fire. The look in her eyes announces that she's officially insane.

"You put me to sleep, deceitful bear!" she warbles, removing her hood and displaying a full set of angry ears perched on her head. "What kind of voodoo magic do you possess?"

He drops his flute in mild panic. "I was only providing music for your slumber, maiden. This flute is just a normal instrument."

"Lies!" her scream tears through the cave and stops him from picking up his instrument. "It did something to me!"

"What did it do?"

"My soul was transported. I woke up in my friend's body!"

He blankly stares at her and smacks his lip. "It might have been the fish."

She frantically looks around the fire and his area. "Where did you get the fish?"

"Can you put my leg back, please?"

"FISH!" She lowers the leg into the fire, scaring him into submission. He chucks a bag of frozen fish on her side. "I don't need all of them," a touch of sympathy whimpers from her voice. "But thank you. Is this a breed of fish that causes one to hallucinate?"

"Yes, it's possible, given the current circumstances," he eyes her curiously, hoping the wild fennec doesn't drop his leg into the flames. "Are you sane now?"

"Never!" she exhales sharply, tossing the leg into his hands, and dives into the bag, slinging random carp and smacking a couple across the bear's shoulders. "This one looks questionable. I'll take it." She tucks the fish in one of her deep pockets and oddly peers at the bear. "You really are too nice. What was your name?"

"I am just a drifter," his soft drawl and horizontal demeanor returns. "There are already enough mean souls in the world. I find balance." He retrieves his flute and inspects it for damage.

"Sorry... about this," Zera mumbles, heading to the entrance. "I'm a scared fool."

"I have made mistakes too, all for another's sake," he says, arranging his instrument. "But the good news here is the storm doesn't look as rough now. Be careful, and I hope you find your loved one."

She nods, plopping her hood over her ears and tucking them tightly.

The flute trills a couple of notes as she steps closer to the entrance. The crushing snow and ice growl at her feet, and she swallows tight lumps, almost regretting her decision, but she's already wore out her welcome. The only choice left is to return to the harden frontier and find a way back to Leonardo Hamato.


	21. Adventures of Little Nipal in Worry Land

_Because it's been a while since the last update, here's a summary of what happened: Leonardo battled the sand demons of his mind and body. He and Zera have been separated from each other; Zera is currently lost in an arctic wasteland. Their scatterbrained companion, Nipal, is the key to bringing the two back together, hopefully in the same place at the same time._

_My apologies - life is hectic these days. I can't really do much about that. Thanks for sticking with me! _

* * *

The Rook's power against the monster had been one of the most brilliant spectacles little Nipal has ever seen! Every strike was precise, delicately improvised, and superbly executed. The rabbit's crooked, droopy ears shivered with blazing excitement pulsing down to his unkempt toes. Victory would soon be theirs in no time with this greenly, high-flying, amazing Rook of Rooks!

But, Nipal had been mistaken, terribly so. It makes him sad inside his squirmy heart the Rook obeyed the dreadful monster, relinquished Sinai, and entered into the bowels of a treacherous Hell. As it all transpired, the radiant Sinai fell back to Anavrin, its precious light dimming, and gently landing in Nipal's tiny paws. He has never seen this magical weapon blanketed in such darkness, excluding the time when he and Zera were cornered by the drunken ghosts of giraffe aliens in a disastrous game of Magic Roulette and Pepper Salad. Absolutely terrible. Sinai was the gamble and pretended to be a mop. The foreigners never had a clue!

Now, on the highest point of the argent valley, Nipal treads through his memories and watches the moaning grey sky, for any movement or break through its puddled appearance. His neck aches, but he braves through it and waits on the hill, the loyal Reformer gripping the only connection between himself and his lost friends. A herd of black-striped, dynamite-tail valley kittens pounce across each other, playfully hissing and curving through the tall, chromed weeds. Nipal is familiar with the herd's sounds and behavior: wide and glossy eyed felines covered in bristled, chocolate fur; stumpy legs that hinder their jumping velocity, fast energy, and soft flowing black tails that, when aroused, crack and spin needles through the air. Loveable creatures, but best kept at a distance. Their exuberance in the valley, sharp cackles and jeers echoing shaves a bit of his anxiety. Even a bundle of needs whirring past his ear didn't flinch him so. The kittens' laughter fades from the land, and Nipal's tight grip around Sinai loosens as the grey sky shifts into a mischievous UnderLight: shadows dripping across the valley, rising from the ground, oozing under the rocks, and flapping curtains of the Dark wandering alone and unabashed.

Nipal shivers in his dirty, torn red suspenders and clutches Sinai again, blinking back his fright and desperately shutting out the low turbulence of Underlight's approaching pandemonium. If only he can disappear or see his brave friends return with their comforting faces at this moment, his heart can be at peace, oh the stars! His mind and body aren't strong enough to face the wickedness, for the little rabbit hybrid is the son of a porcupine masseuse and a barnyard masturbator, raised with many other siblings and cousins and neighborhood kids, and he cries when he's stressed and stutters when excited. Years back, a kind teacher advised Nipal of a small, growing community of loyal assistants to the courageous Retainers, and she said the experience would help him succeed in all areas of his fumbling life. The training was hard, and his transformation into the walrus form was the result of a horrible prank that he had nothing to do with but, keen to his soft personality, Nipal adapted and used it to the best of his ability. Surprisingly, he rose in the ranks, and during a protest, his small rabbit body was kicked and punted; a set of high heels crushed his arm, and the shoes' owner was the only one who checked on him.

"Are you mad, little rabbit? Give me your hand and we'll get to safety! Do you like being crushed under all this weight? You're not answering!" His insides rattled with the fast motion. "Stay with me. Speak!"

Their friendship was an unlikely one, marred with short nerves and boiling tongues, and he takes the blame for most of it because he is a coward and can make poor decisions. His ears are sensitive to noise, very sensitive, and her screams and rants gives him headaches for days, but she was a hero, and she was brave.

No, she is brave, Nipal corrected, blinking hard, and she'll return soon. Zera, the outcast like himself; she never joined group dates or of her own kind to even mingle, shedded no tears over anything, and focused solely on her assignments as a Retainer. For that, he refuses to leave her side as long as she wills it so. He doesn't want her to change and she's too stubborn to it anyways.

He feels a tiny smile wrinkle into his cheeks. The Rook is amazing again, in that he befriended both of the ragged walnuts and cracked their shells. Who is he and where does he live? He has a family, Nipal remembers, and the family probably misses him. Nipal misses him, too.

His bifocal glasses slip off his face, toppling on the rock, and he never moves. His handy frames, he takes care of with ample grace, but the hurtful tears are parting through his furry cheeks and it's getting tougher to lever his head. He leans on Sinai for support and watches the liquid splash on his glasses. He hasn't silently cried since he was a youngling, when his closest friend moved away and nobody cared that he was sad. Here he is dangerously alone in a heartless valley with not a single plan to save his toosh. A broken heart can't save his friends.

The guttural moans spilling around Nipal's quivering ball form weave a chilly nest in the air, eager and hungry for a warm morsel and empty mouths drive the shadows to a rapid attack, whirling, fussing, and squealing. Nipal's paws drum painfully as his grip is the tightest it's ever been, and his heart, the fastest, nearing a complete meltdown. On this Underlight, he whispers a dry, throaty song prayer from his childhood, and while he remembers very little lyrics, it gives him the safest passageway into his maker's arms.

Sweet Nipal can pray less now, for his heart will remain whole this Night.

The danger stirs the incubating Sinai, who heats under the shaky rabbit's hold and shatters those who desire to see the Reformer perish. Grand arcs of silver and gold light blossom from Sinai's head into an orchard of power. Nipal is temporarily blinded by the spectacle, fumbling one free paw around his seat, hopeful to find his bifocals. The magic is very tepid to the touch, but its release reminds him of the fresh ocean. Dreamlight Vista. Yes, he visited there as a youngling and enjoyed feeding the baby Littos flopping out of the water with their wispy fish tails and bulging maroon eyes. Standing on the shore feeling the ocean tickle his worn feet was the greatest.

Nipal finds his glasses, and as they pluck on his button nose, a confident, gentle voice prances in his ear, "To have summoned me means you hold great strength."

"M- me?" he squints, shielding one eye with his ear. "Is that you, Sinai?"

"Mastery is not determined by size; it requires all of who you are."

Nipal relaxes, nodding a response.

"Then, go." The floating orchard dims, and Sinai fades through a static breeze, "The ocean is yours."

Can strength pool in my heart and drain from my hands, Nipal ponders as his feet touch the ground, Sinai in his grasp, and guidance possesses his legs once again. Vision successfully returns, and Underlight has crawled back in its stuffy holes leaving the valley in an oil painting. His footprints smear into the crinkled weeds, and his paws press against the sky, leaving behind his fuzzy, impenetrable mark. Heartbeats flare and a tail puffs at the excitement stemming from a different yet happy place for Nipal. It feels like Dreamlight, soaking into his skin and pulling the mocking shadow out of him.

The beautiful landscape washes into a muddy backdrop, dripping into puddles on the ground and casting a gray sky-over. He nervously awaits another threat, and only by Sinai's soft, pushy hum does Nipal straighten up and faces this brooding new turn. In the far distance, shapes blend into a recognizable form and push forward, rapidly, where Nipal and Sinai stand. His heartbeats sing the tired, scared tune, especially as the gray shaves the edge of the objects and reveals a landfill of broken skeletons, marred and forever screaming in terror.

"Brave, brave me," the Reformer whispers flow between Sinai and the gray, "can you stand tall and push the danger? I am nothing, but I need to be more!" The stronger his heart feels, the more light pours from his shield, Sinai; ribbons of cool power shades the bleak over-look, wilting the harsh, dead skeletal fragments. Nipal marches through the landfill, breath catching in his tiny throat, but each step more, the courage balloons inside him. He will survive, and he will find his friends!

After traveling for long periods causing blisters on his feet and a twisted ankle from plowing through skeletons, Sinai halts, jerking Nipal to a standstill. A small amount of fear returns in his chest. He peers at Sinai above him, the beautiful fierce torch allowing a lowly Reformer to bare it, and he is intrigued by the intermittent buzzing. Nipal's ears rise under Sinai's alarm, sketching his curiosity more, and it is within a few moments the rabbit realizes his guide is temperamental over his indecisiveness. "Look ahead of you, Reformer. Now." His ears shrink under the demand. Slowly, his eyes roll in the targeted direction and widen immediately at a small, wavy spotlight over a distant, jagged hill, the only one among its more smooth brethren.

The anticipation rushes over him in hot spurts, gunning Nipal's feet off the ground before his mind spins its first cycle. The Master is there, his heart knows for sure and Sinai wouldn't lie either, and he can see their faces again! They'll pet him between his ears and allow him on the bed to snuggle with them and keep their feet warm. Oh, if only his legs can fight against gravity faster! He can't feel the pain in his feet anymore; they are barely on the ground as he flashes through piles of bones and dust. The trail left in his wake lingers and crawls behind the zesty rabbit. It has no chance of catching up with the runner's willpower.

He keeps with the momentum until he reaches the bottom of the oddball hill and stares into the light. While his heart is ready to burst from the adrenaline, Nipal marches forward, bulldozing the bones and, suddenly now, pushing automobile parts and broken electronics out of the way. He hears moaning from the ground and the hill rattles, slow at first then gains fierce strength. Every obstacle wants to hurt him, but it will not be so! Hoses rocket out of the pile and nose-dive around him, computers explode and the smoke blocks his view, and car parts whir and whiz, hitting ear-splitting decibels; the skeletons gradually melt into sinks of thick, smoky liquid, boiling and reaching for him through ricochets of acid catapulting over his body. One drop scorches the tip of his ear, and while his first instinct naturally whines, he's almost to the top. Almost to success!

A rogue hose snatches his ankle in mid-leap and smashes Nipal into a group of sizzling electronics. They bite and claw at his face, crushing his glasses and sending him into a panic. The elusive Sinai raises back and saws the hose in half, giving Nipal the freedom to stand on his feet; however, his hands drop into pools of the bony acid, and the sky is shaken from the cries of a frenzied, injured rabbit. Sinai arches a pair of incandescent wings, takes hold of the whimpering rabbit, and swoops to the top, leaving every obstacle angry in its path; their nest has been greatly disturbed.

At the head, the spotlight is cool to the touch. Nipal welcomes its relaxing energy and slides off Sinai's back, relieved at seeing Leonardo the Rook at last. His master is suspended in mid air by rubbery teal vines, almost magical by sight, but Nipal shudders at the decreasing temperature while his whiskers droop from growing icicles! Since his glasses are gone, he tiptoes closer to the spectacle, sniffing the thin air, and he suddenly jerks when the vines rumble and rotate around every part of Master's body.

Those are not vines, Nipal realizes: those are tentacles and they belong to the giant beast they previously battled in the sky!

Noticing at the same time, Sinai smacks itself against Nipal's head, silver glitter scattering around them, and alerts an echoing "Up!" as the tentacle monster's teal extensions glide into its well-known macabre emergence. Nipal heart's thunders again, staring hard into the beast's scaly floating form and he knows it's not letting go of the Rook that easily, evident from the tentacles squeezing the Rook tightly and the warning growl trembling every hill for miles.

* * *

_Next chapter: The frightened Nipal makes use of a few magical tools to help defeat the monster._


	22. Roses, and the Thorns You Never See

Hovering closer over Nipal's little star-struck head, the monster drills its many glowing eyes to the pests on the ground. It moans and grumbles protests, wiggling Leonardo, its prize possession, in its scaly grip. Leonardo has provided enormous substance for the monster's appetite; Rooks taste better, for they possess glorious souls and willpower beyond Anavrin. If Nipal desires to save Leonardo, the monster will challenge and keep its delicious prisoner.

Sinai shrinks under the monster's looming power but pushes forward with its humming and buzzing at the equally frightened Nipal. "Your friend will perish! Fight, rabbit, fight back!" the weapon screams in Nipal's rattling noggin; his ears and shoulders flinch from the overwhelming stress, and nothing comes to his mind. Nothing! He can't swing Sinai and tear through the monster like the Rook did. Nipal stares at his suspended, comatose green body: the Rook is mighty and his hands are steel traps and whistle sharp. He glances at his own pinky furry paws, noticing the huge contrast and whimpers over how pathetic he is here. Never in a millennium can he become the hero Anavrin needs. Instead, the hero is a few steps away and deserves the brilliant rescue he would so openly give.

Irritated by Nipal's lack of responsibility, Sinai bolts a stream of power into Nipal's backside, bucking and skidding the rabbit below the Rook's body. He whimpers in his spot but swallows most of his tension and shows the first, rare, signs of anger. His whiskers and puffy, round tail quiver and stand on their ends, and he grumbles under his breath. "How dare that tool electrocute me! I'm doing the best I can!" He stands on his twittering feet, jarring under the monster's aggression for being too close to its prisoner.

The smooth waves of Dreamlight Vista's ocean return to Nipal's mind, brushing over his senses effortlessly. Tool, he repeats slowly, tool, tools. Tools! Yes! He glows with excitement and the anger rolls away with the tides. The Master Rook has powerful weapons in his possession, and if his memory is correct, when a Rook is incapacitated, his or her weapons moves down the chain. The Retainer and next in line, Zera, isn't here either so a jubilant Nipal twiddles his paws and holds them high above his head, reciting, "In fear we perish; in you, we live," as a gentle breeze strokes his long ears behind his back, "no Rook, no Retainer. Last eye, the Reformer," the Vista's coolness washes over his mind and he closes his eyes for the final phrase, "bares the sword and shield to protect us all."

Over this small hill, compared to the many other larger ones, six dots of pulsating light beacons through the dimming spotlight trapped under the monster's destructive, knotty umbrella. The spotlight fades, infuriating the monster and blaring its roars over the terrain, but the strong little lights remain. Sinai stands back and proudly watches Nipal stand on his tippy toes and pluck the first light he touches. Instantaneously, the flash evolves into an illuminating croquet mallet, and Nipal's eyes widen from the glimmering showcase. He reaches for another light, and it too pops into a stout iron fire-tool; both weapons are eager at their shot against the enemy, and instead of waiting for Nipal, pockets of light rocket behind them as the mallet and fire tool launch for the monster. Flabbergasted, Nipal dances in circles, clapping and cheering for the magical weapons; they hack and slash at the tentacle monster, ignoring the wails and sloppy attacks from its giant prongs. The fury and momentum of the battle detonates an earthquake across the land. The hopeful rabbit trips over his baggy red jump-suit, clutching the ground and hiding behind his ears. Sinai fries his fluffy tail and points at the remaining lights. "Oh, yes," Nipal mumbles and cautiously takes two more in his grasp. A few sparkles later, a silver satchel and a pink, diamond studded telephone box materialize and float above his head. "Will you fight, too?" he asks, eyes glowing. The monster's screams are deafening and many of its extensions are hacked off their hinges. The Rook's weapons blaze and swing through the enemy's fort, and their efforts sever the monster's hold on Leonardo. He falls to the ground with a light bump, bundles of dead tentacles falling around him.

Nipal rushes to his aid and taps him on the shoulder repeatedly. "Master Rook! Are you okay? Master Rook!" He flinches from the noise and fragmented pieces of magic bouncing off his head. A groggy Leonardo stirs, blinking and swiveling his head. Nipal stutters and pats his Rook's right shoulder. "Let-let me hel-help you, M-Master. Can you s-see?"

"Yes," comes the hoarse response from Leonardo's stiff lips, and he takes a moment to regain his senses again. Nipal misunderstands the silence and flails back and forth, whimpering and tripping over his feet. Another laser strike from Sinai raises Nipal's decibels, and the poor sizzling rabbit continues fretting over his Master. His worries are elevated when the phone box and the final light diffuse into microscopic dots and vanish. If his heart could break, it would litter the ground and sparkle bright!

Unaware, Sinai taps Nipal on the shoulder and prompts him to look at the sky. The silver satchel opens wide and diligently vacuums the space around it, including the monster. It yells for mercy and flaps its stumps wildly, but it is soon melted into a thin flow of air and deposited in the satchel. The world around Nipal, Sinai, and Leonardo is quiet and slow.

Leonardo enlivens once more, opening his eyes fully and staring into the gray sky. A set of bulgy black eyes return his glance. He whispers, "Nipal. Your glasses," and the rabbit cries from joy, blubbering nonsense, scratching his ears, and blissfully unaware of Leonardo's fall back into silence. Nipal hops around Sinai's levitating form and blows kisses through the air. How silly it is an enchanted tool notices something wrong before its magician. Alas, the rabbit prematurely celebrates.

Leonardo barely recalls the actual fight with the sand demons; instead, the endless sand diamonds weigh him down and disconnect him from his own body. Even with his eyes open wide and facing a pretty sky, sitting up, moving his legs and arms, and turning his head aren't easy tasks anymore. The limbs we take for granted, he reflects, blinking more each time and hoping his senses return. Nipal bounces in and out of his view: one ear here, a hand there. Is he under attack? What's wrong with him? The turtle warrior forces more will power into his limbs, wiggling a finger and toe. Noise feels distant, a mile away and dipped in cotton. Surely Nipal is making noise with his running about and fidgeting. Leonardo quickly remembers how the demons won through his negligence, his impatience.

_Breathe, breathe... Focus. Move your limbs. Move the last toe; the last finger. Yes. Focus more, and move your wrists and ankles. It's all a wave, a pattern, an almost beautiful diagram in this obstructed illusion. _

His body slowly obeys the commands. The neck is the last soldier in line, and he winces from the spiky ache, turning right to face the excited rabbit.

"Nipal?" The name rumbles from his throat and he assumes it flows through the mouth. Nipal stops in his pow-wow and stares dumbfounded at his master.

"Master Rook!" Nipal's bottom lip quivers, and he shrinks. "You don't look so well."

Leonardo sees Nipal's mouth moving but the words collapse. He tries his tongue once more. "Nipal. Zera."

Overcome with sniffles, Nipal meekly glances up at Sinai and back to Leonardo. "I'm, I'm sorry. She's- she's not here. I-I was hoping she w-was with," he swallows, rubbing the tip of his ear, "with you."

Again, the words are lost to Leonardo. "Zera." He flaps his tongue and pushes open his jaw, exclaiming, "Zera!" He can hear more of his own words now. Concrete focus. He struggles saying her name over and over, and tiny Nipal watches him pitifully. The intensity and force dries his throat raw, nerve edges stinging. His next two syllables, "Water", hisses from his nostrils, and his body gives way. Back to a coma, the Rook goes, with his rabbit pal whimpering and pining for him to return.

* * *

Once he opens his eyes again, Leonardo faces a narrow alleyway lined with red, yellow, and white buildings on both sides. He extends his arms and touches rough, cracked siding through his fingers; his feet brush over temperate, cobbled street. Something feels uneasy, disconnected about his whole body; his back seems lighter, without the bulk of his shell that he normally expects. Arms and legs lift quicker. The issue needs more investigating, but a simple look down at himself is a chore. His head arches forward quickly, shaking his balance, and he uses the buildings to anchor.

_What is the matter with my body? Get a handle on yourself,_ a sharp voice lances in his head, but even the thoughts sound foreign to him. Everything feels so alien, and a tinge of irritation bites him over the matter. He slowly pushes a shaky foot forward, still holding tight on the buildings and yearning to see his feet. A puff of air dangles around the ankles, and a grainy cloth sweeps across them. Is he wearing a trenchcoat? A cloak? He's dressed in some kind of long fabric: one mystery solved. One more solid step. Yes! Two more. And three. Balance seems restored around his feet, and his irritation subsides momentarily. _Patience, patience, but I need to get moving. So, move, Self. Move! _Again, he doesn't like the tone of voice rattling in his brain. While he gets moody occasionally, small things never frustrate him, except when one of his brothers forgets to do a chore after he's reminded them all week then half the day.

_Stop wasting time. I need to find him..._

Find who? Him? Nipal? One of his brothers?

_He's somewhere in this country._

_Okay_, Leonardo consciously regresses a step, _who am I looking for, and furthermore, where am I?_

No response after a few moments of waiting. His vision ripples, but he braces and holds steady. Noise has been non-existent since awakening, but a small amount filters through his ears. Naturally, he can't make sense of it, and now his own frustration wrinkles through his veins. It's difficult getting familiar with this disjointed sensation, but he tries relentlessly by shuffling his feet and nodding his head until seeing lined colors works again. Leonardo sighs with relief and gradually peers over his clothing: a large deep blue top with long sleeves over his wrists and hanging over his hips; a heavy black scarf hides most of his face and a lighter blue shaw drapes over the shoulders; and the bottom garment is really a gray skirt stopping at his ankles, and thin black shoes cover his white feet.

White feet? Someone's furry white feet.

Its hands are white and dark brown paws with fine claws, not a speck of green or reptilian features anywhere. Before he can formalize the next thought, the white hands and feet are moving down a crowded street of vendors, small vehicles, and people on bicycles. Nothing about the place is familiar. Tanned-skin, dark eyed people glance at whoever he is, some stare, and wide-eyed, bubbly children in dirty t-shirts and knee-length shorts stampede by him, all throwing sideway peeks and tugging on its skirt.

In the next jump of weirdness, a damp object smacks him in the face, and his legs and heart on fire from a marathon. Colors and objects are puddles in his vision again, flashing by in seconds and blending together. More wet objects gash and burn his cheeks, body is ready to fall over from exhaustion, and particles of his clothes are ripped to shreds, exposing skin and fur. The person's haggard breaths pound in his head, clouding his hearing. His feet trip from something on the ground, and he lands painfully on his side, catching his breath. The world around him swirls into view; he looks into the face of a wild, vivid jungle: a normal one from his land, not the eclectic Blue Sung Thicket.

Staying on the ground, the tiny voice returns in a slow embrace._ I'll never see you again if I can't control my emotions and keep my head straight._

He knows then who it is, who he's been sharing the same mind and body, but they're unaware of the other. _Zera, I'll find you. Stay where you are._

Zera's body lifts off the soggy ground and drags next to a tree. From his view, the jungle is a beautiful, animated place. Sunbeams pour through cracks between the trees and swaying limbs. He's heartbroken she is alone and doesn't know he's there. Her hands grab a ball of jungle soil, and she's emotionally shaken. How hopeless he feels over how helpless she is.

No matter how much he says or how loud he tries to be, she can't hear him. She can't feel him. She sits alone in the jungle, bleeding and broken, and he floats further and further away until the jungle goes black, and his eyes stare into a gray sky with winged animals circling over him.

"Master Rook! Please wake up!" comes Nipal's terrified squeals and timid shakes on Leonardo's shoulder. "The Lucaracs are here!"

The natural feeling of his old self returns, limbs and all, and Leonardo bolts upright at Nipal's persistence. He doesn't waste a moment and urges towards Nipal, "Can you transform? It's the only way out of here."

Nipal fiddles his hands and waddles from foot to foot until he remembers how to transform into the giant purple walrus, his watery eyes darting around the place. Leonardo's feet tremor under the rush, but he sweeps up Sinai and breaks for the air-lifting Nipal. A blue stream cruises from the Lucaracs in Leonardo's direction, and he dodges it, almost tripping on his feet. More streams, faster this time, rain from the sky and thrash around his body, coiling and steaming as they smash in the ground. Leonardo leaps a great distance from the last stream onto Nipal, weighing down the poor walrus-rabbit who doesn't expect such a load on him at once. The Lucaracs' screeching cries in the air give Nipal the fuel he needs to blast from the demon mountain. Raising Sinai in the air, Leonardo aims for the closest enemy and releases as much silver power from the weapon as possible. Drapes of sparkles collide into a diving Lucarac, stunning it and dropping it out of the sky.

Nipal's flight zig-zags the determined Lucaracs and their spouts of power cascading from their contorted beaks. Menacing creatures with bald yellow heads and soul-less emerald eyes, the Lucaracs' scattered feathers whip in uneven unison on their scrawny bodies, rising and falling during the onslaught. A pair of Lucaracs bursts from the line and surround Nipal and Leonardo on both sides.

"Faster, Nipal; you have to go faster!" Leonardo screams over the wind and bedlam. Sinai glows intensely in his grip, and before he can lift the weapon for another attack, one of the two Lucaracs collides into the turtle, shaking Nipal's balance and Sinai almost out of his grip. The second Lucarac squawks and headbutts Leonardo, forcing him between the two birds as they flap violently and obscure his vision. He grabs Sinai tight in his grip again and uses both hands to summon power, but the right side Lucarac snatches it with its beak and dashes away. Flabbergasted, Leonardo reaches for the bird without thinking, and the left side Lucarac uses the opportunity and shoves Leonardo right off Nipal and helpless into the sky.

Noticing the weight difference, Nipal puts on the brakes and slams the remaining Lucarac into his hefty backside. "Master Rook!" Nipal ignores the throbbing pain in his rear and dives after Leonardo. His heroics are cut short; the winged troublemakers gang on him and attack with their blue fires and barbed talons and beaks.

The last thing he witnesses is the Rook's body getting smaller over the ocean, and a sparkling object falling fast with him.

* * *

_Next chapter: Leo and Zera reunite, and Leo returns home, but the adventure is far from over._


	23. Fall Back into My Life

The warmest of all furs in Anavrin can't stop her chattering teeth; at any moment, they might shatter and drop out of her mouth onto the frigid landscape. Her feet are screaming from the torturous journey, begging their master to rest. Her body is almost a block of ice. The harsh winds form a blockade in her path, teasing her to keep going and kill herself slowly.

Time is colder; it doesn't have a giving hand. Zera's struggles are less frequent and her mind more cloudy, desperate. In a moment of hesitation, she relinquishes her sore feet and stares into the pearly depths. Only a tiny fraction of her brain remembers why she's fighting and who she's fighting for; the fraction that pulses warmly and keeps her feet moving. Thoughts are difficult to form; breathing is slowing down. Winds growl and attack, waiting for her to succumb.

_Step_, she commands from her body; _step, keep moving_. After a lengthy time, her right foot obeys, and a small noise ricochets through her leg. It's hard to feel anything, but she doesn't miss it: a crack in the ice. One more step from the left, and the world around her collapses; her body drops as hard as the ice into the water and cuts her agility. Down into the blue she tumbles, barely feeling something flitter and zip out of her pocket but it's there. A fish. The frozen fish the polar bear gave to her. _What is it doing alive_? The fish's beady eyes bats at her, wondering how she landed in this predicament. Although her arm feels like glass, she reaches for the creature, pleading for it to help her. It swims over her head and waits for her to turn; its little tail shutters and a bubble shoots from his mouth.

_Follow me_, she reads its intentions. The water is oddly warmer than the surface, and her nerves are firing again. It's still painful to move, but she needs to follow the amicable swimmer and fall on the right path.

The fish is a fast one, always having to slow down and wait for Zera to catch up. The walls of water pass by her, a tepid sensation sweeping over her spine as she glides. Her lungs aren't squealing from the pressure or lack of air; something is magical about this place. The surface was cruel to her; the underwater is kind and helpful. Her fish friend leaves trails of bubbles for her to swim through, a sign it is very talkative, but she can't understand anything.

In a wicked turn, her body grades heavy again, her arms and legs drooping, and the walls of the ocean growing darker. She panics in her mind and steers her head upwards, but the world remains black and the waters are chilly again.

* * *

"Leo is where!" Donatello barks, inspecting his brother's pupils. "And what are you doing in his body?"

A tiny dot of light skimmers her vision; Zera blinks many times after the light is taken away. "He's in Anavrin, my home, but I don't know where he is. I came back here."

Raphael leans over her, brooding, "What do you mean came back? We've never met you before!"

"Hey!" Michelangelo pops, snapping his fingers from his chair. "When Leo, or Leo's body, woke up the first time and then we lost him, remember? Was that you, Body Snatcher?" He leans with a cheeky grin on the backside of a chair.

A sense of disconnection overwhelms her as she tries sitting Leonardo's body up, facing his family. She takes in the sight: three green creatures, just like Leonardo, and a rat in ruby cloth, all looking at her like a death trap.

Don helps stabilizes her and wraps a blood pressure fold over Leonardo's arm; he quietly takes a reading.

"I don't know why I'm back here, but it must be for a good reason. Your brother is in danger, I'm sure of it, and I'm not strong enough to save him." The blood pressure cup hisses. "I tried," Zera whispers, staring into Don's solemn glance.

"We would help but how do we get there? We don't even know how Leo got there!" Raph throws up his hands. "We want our damn brother back!"

She begins, "I agree and-"

"What did you do? Sweet talk him, sweetie pie? He never could turn away from a pretty lady, if you're pretty, I dunno!" Raph squawks, his nostrils flaring. "Point me where I need to go and I'll get him myself."

Abhorred, Mikey pinches the back of Raph's leg, wrinkling his beak at his brother's lackluster response. "Give her a chance to talk, motor mouth. If there's a way, she'll lead us to him." His big eyes falls on her again. "Right?"

Zera isn't certain about the situation, or if she can help them. The humble rat with the kind brown eyes shuffles closer to Leo's body, taking his seat as gentle as a swan on water. Intimidation sets in when his family's eyes widen at her silence. What is she supposed to say?

"Take a few deep breaths, child. As deep as your lungs will fill," Splinter coaches her, pressing his furry hands on the top of his walking cane and giving his full attention. She complies, feeling better with the passing of each breath and time. "Calmly now. Very good." His fluid voice and meditation relaxes her, and Leo's body recedes on the bed, and she remembers the muddy ceiling from their first meeting.

She mumbles through an advancing fog and drowsy eyelids, "He will return soon. I promise." Struggling to stay awake and hear the many responses from his family, Zera loses control and tangles with the darkness again. The short lapse between the ceiling and returning to the ocean wall is the smoothest transition she's experienced thus far, thanks to the kind rat. _The key is to relax and give a small push. Be in control._

Two black doe eyes blink at her amid a flurry of scurried bubbles. The little fish never left her side but hurriedly prompts her to pick up the trail. Swim fast and free. Zera's ears float carelessly behind her, jerking as she resumes the aquatic adventure. Her limbs dangle free and push through the water, forgetting the old pain and concentrating on the leader. Thoughts, once frozen, melt over her mind again, and she remembers her goal: the Familiar. She knows Leonardo flew into the monster to save a cranky bat like her; she is his Retainer, a right-hand guard and guide through Anavrin, and now he's lost. She has failed him above everything, especially being his mate. If only they can go to his world together..

She's determined to find a way to do it.

The deep blue scatters from their path and trespasses into cloudy areas, swallowing the friendly fish in front of her. She screeches to a halt and levitates, watching her very hands disappear in the murky waters. A ball of panic beats in her throat. Nothing is in front of her anymore and no sign of the guide fish. Zera remains still, though the panic gains speed through her, hoping she can continue swimming straight, as they were doing before the transformation. Her arms move again, combing through the waters and nerves firing from the middle of her chest through the tip of her tail. Anxiety bites away her hopes.

Moments pass her lapping along a hazy path, almost a crawl through the ocean. It seems forever more until a dim light grows a little bigger. She squints, unsure of what it is and what lurks. Carefully, she approaches while the light beams brighter. A shadow appears next to it, and she stops, waiting patiently for it to move first. Minutes drag. The light source chips away at the shadow, and through the fog, she sees dark skin. A few more seconds, and the revelation erases her panic, sending it to the far gloom behind her.

She moves the fastest she's been into Leonardo's arms, burying her head into his chest and squeezing his shell. For him to be in the same depth as her, she smiles and thanks the Moon Tree for his safety. Elated, she peers in his face for his reaction, and notices his eyes are closed. She shakes his shoulders, with no response. The small of her fingers tap his cheeks, and nothing happens. The light source beside them dims lower, and she recognizes it as the pointy lantern before turning back to Leonardo's stone face. Zera's face contorts in a mix of frustration and disappointment as she strokes around his eyes and slides her fingers down his cheeks. _Wake up_, she pleads; _we're reunited at last and you can't enjoy it_.

A sliver of black passes in the corner of her right eye. The lantern beams again, and Zera inspects over Leonardo's shoulder into the great, foul distance. The ocean wall splits and invites a pair of threatening Littos, their prickly black hair, crusty bodies, and vicious, large teeth glowering at her. They hover and swim back and forth, doting over how helpless she and Leonardo are, and claw through the water with their scaly arms and fins. Zera tries calling to him through the water and rattling his shoulders, even slapping his face, all of which do nothing more. Her voice can't carry and her limbs are weighed down so it's impossible to wake him up by force. The Littos slither forward, menacing and ready for the thrill of the hunt and a tasty morsel in their empty bellies. Zera locks one arm under his and steers for the surface, but the Littos block her way and gnash their revolting teeth at her.

In mid-blink, a curb of light shoves through the Littos and knocks them out of her way, stunning them momentarily. Zera opens her eyes and sees the enchanting Sinai basking its glow on her and Leonardo. The lantern slides into the deep, fading into darkness. Zera follows Sinai's lead and struggles to the surface. With a great weight on them, her arms give out shortly after takeoff, the muscles crying for her to let him go. Sinai reaches with glittery hands, embraces Zera and Leonardo, and carries them to safety.

* * *

Feeling the sweet air through her lungs again, Zera breaks the surface and drags Leonardo, her Rook, to the shoreline. She's thankful to be free from the miserable ice and the underwater abyss.

"A little more," with ragged breathing, she coaxes Leonardo and to her aching body, "we're almost there." A humming Sinai sweeps above its masters, pointing in the direction she needs to go. The waves push and slam her forward, losing her grip on Leonardo a couple of times, and brushes her back a few steps behind her old ones. The struggle doesn't end as the Littos' gurgling calls are heard over the water. Their dead hair skates behind their floating heads and devilish orange eyes, locking fast on their prey. Zera picks up her speed, flailing her exhausted arm against the current. Her sensitive ears hear the enemies' growls and jarring breaths; the water tossing around in her ears doesn't drown their noises. Leonardo's body dips below the surface, and she scrambles to lift him again, pulling herself down in the water, too. The Littos draw closer, making sure the prey won't escape this time.

A crack of silver bolts wallops the Littos' heads and sends them splashing wildly in their spots. Sinai swarms over them and releases more attacks against the cawing mermaids. One leaps out of the water, grazing at Sinai, hoping to grab and snap it in half with its teeth. Sinai drifts dangerously close and manages a good save. Losing steam fast, Zera holds Leonardo close and waits for the next wave to carry her to the growing shoreline. _Almost there, almost there_!

Also noticing the shoreline, the pair of disgruntled Littos flip their bright silver fins back in the ocean and leave the prey in peace, for now.

Finally hitting land elates her weary mind and body. She collapses on shore, feeling the cold water wash over and soaking the sand under her face. Her arms and legs tremble from the labor, and it takes her a long moment to recover. All she thinks about is keeping a tight hold around his arm and never letting go.

A small hand pats the top of her head lightly. "Lady Zera!" comes a routine, blubbery cry. She achingly looks up, and through a thin fog sees Nipal waddling in view, his huge eyes patching into hers. She's extremely relieved and motions towards Leonardo.

"The Rook is safe! Oh, I know you could do it, my lady."

She croaks, "Nipal, relieved to see you. Please," she coughs and tugs at his feet with her free hand, "help me get him to the hill."

"Certainly."

The helpful rabbit, with Zera's diminishing strength, drag the comatose Leonardo up a small hill, leaving dark skid-marks and holes in the sand. She trips and falls up the hill, and Nipal lets go of the Rook to help her. She stumbles through a couple of steps, stuttering her words, "Just let me rest for a moment."

Nipal hooks both of his arms around Leonardo's left armpit and digs his feet in the ground trying to move him. He trips and shakes on the ground before giving up and sitting under Leonardo's hand. "He won't wake up?"

"No," Zera croaks; she whaps her ears free of water and smacks her head to rid the rest. "I met him like that. What happened? Do you know?"

"We fought the Lucaracs and he was knocked off me by two of them. He fell into the ocean!"

"And that's where we met. And you fought the Lucs, too, frazzled Nipal?" she gives a tired grin his way.

"Y-yes!" he swells his chest and picks up Leonardo's hand and places it on his own furry head. "Nipal was brave, like a Reformer should be." He pats his head with the Rook's hand. "I did my best!"

"He taught you well."

"You taught me, too."

"I only berated you," she quietly says, her eyes peering between droplets of water sliding off her forehead. "Thanks for your help. I'm sorry we were separated." She rips off her soggy boots, tossing them to the side and checking over Leonardo's body. A quick shake of his shoulders fields nothing again; only water drips from his body and caresses over his placid face.

Nipal lowers Leonardo's hand like a rock; his eyes pop out of their sockets. "Zera! Zera! What are the Littos doing on land!" Rocking back and forth, he tugs down his ears, blubbering more nonsense while she watches, in terror, the same Littos, one with a bloody eye and another with short crinkly hair, snarling, running on their hands, and beating their silver tails in the air.

"Zera! Above us!" Nipal cries woeful tears, pointing wildly at a flock of Lucaracs circling the thin, burned sky.

* * *

Disoriented, Leonardo licks his dry lips, feeling a cool sensation over his cheeks, and hears a flurry of voices around him. Panicked voices. _Are the Lucaracs still attacking_, he wonders and fights to open his eyes. The last thing he remembers is falling from a great height, having been knocked off Nipal, and his shell crashing through a fence of air.

"Please wake up!" a voice shrills, rattling his eardrums.

_I'm trying_! He shouts, although it feels more inside his head than out of his mouth.

"Leonardo!"

Just a little more.

"Open your stupid eyes!"

_No need to be rude_, he snorts. His eyes split onto a muddy ceiling and into the caring, boisterous eyes of his loving, worried family.

Don speaks first. "That is you, right?"

"Of course it's him!" Raph pushes Mikey aside. "It better be him."

"Hey..." Leonardo squeaks, dashing his eyes around the room and taking in home sweet home. "It's me."

"Damn, it's good to have you back!" blubbers Mikey, wrapping his weak brother in the biggest hug known in the world. He and Don help Leo sit up, and after a moment of sweet relief from the family, Mikey frowns. "So why do you look so sad to see us?"

Leo's forehead wrinkles, and he hasn't the heart to answer right away.

_Next chapter: As Zera and Nipal fight to stay alive, Leonardo has to make a tough decision regarding his fate back in Anavrin. _


	24. Let the Walls Come Down

Leonardo Hamato, awake and breathless. His family's elated faces and voices drone behind the rapid beating of his heart. He's home. He's finally made it, and it's all he ever wanted during the wacky, fast paced journey in Anavrin. Quiet, normal Lair. Not quiet currently, but certainly doesn't harvest dancing twisters or man-eating birds.

Mikey is the first to notice his temperament. Leo doesn't mean to make his family worry even more, but he left in the middle of a fight, and without finding Zera. They didn't really get to say goodbye to each other.

"Earth to Leo!" Raphael screams, snapping his fingers in front of Leo's eyes; he blinks, pushing his brain fuzz and curling one corner of his mouth to force a smile. He doesn't answer right away, and this troubles Raph. "Leo, are you with us?"

"Yes," Leo's quick answer skirts above a whisper. He massages his right shoulder and spiders up his neck. "I'm here, Raph. Just tired."

The flurry of conversation strikes up again, and he can't make out what anybody says so he nods and chuckles as he sees someone smile or laugh. The only one not laughing as much, and who normally does, is Mikey, and Leo avoids looking in his small blue eyes usually so full. Splinter smiles warmly and pats his shoulders. Can he sense it, too? Leo resolves the crippling worry basking over him and enjoys the reunion his heart desired for many days. Had he been gone for a long time? Donatello mentioned a few seconds ago about missing April's birthday; last he checked, the calendar read three days, but details before the journey are hazy. Asking his brothers would mean more explanation. His hands and legs are exhausted, and his mind is miles behind his body.

Sleep. That's all he wants now.

"Don't you dare fall asleep! Hey!" Raph shouts and pats his fingers against Leo's cheeks. Don shakes his shoulders, but Leo's eyes drift around the room and stay on Mikey's eyes growing bigger.

Lifting his caution, Mikey whispers, "You're going back to save her, aren't you?"

"What!" Raph shoves Don out of the way, knocking over a small table and a bowl of warm water. "Don't be a hero. Stay the fuck awake, Leo! You just came back to us."

"Let him go." Mikey squeezes Leo's arm.

Raph arches his hand back and locks his eye on his target: Leo's face. "Not without us!"

* * *

Zera of Anavrin, scared and heightened. Quick winds off the shore and the Littos' throaty growls merge with the stampede in her heart. She wobbles on her sore legs, stumbling through the sand and blocking the Rook's body from the approaching harm. Nipal shudders, terrified in his small hole by the Rook's head; he looks on at Lady Zera, worried for her safety and watching her legs quiver. She will not make it, he cries inside his heart.

He plops out of his hole and paddles next to Zera, picking up rocks and tossing them in the air. They miss the enemies and land snugly in the sand.

"Get back," she moans, barely able to lift her arm in the direction behind them. Nipal's whiskers slope and he whimpers in response, snuggling his head against her leg. She persists, "Move, foolish rabbit."

"N-no," he calls into her fur. "I stay here." He lifts his head and chucks another rock. It bounces off one Litto's good eye and sends it squealing across the beach. Nipal smiles and anchors himself against Zera's leg; she returns his smile with a tired one and hears another screech coming from a different direction. Up.

"Nipal! Duck!"

The Lucarucs dive-bomb around the two, leaving rogue black feathers raining around them. Their skeletal beaks lunge for a pinch of flesh and keep missing. Zera hovers over Nipal, feeling the brush of air slam into her back as the morbid birds attack. Nipal sees the hungry Littos through a gap between Zera's arms, still gnashing their teeth and crawling faster. Tears form around his sharp little eyes, and the sounds from the enemies drown his thoughts. Zera grunts from the pain shooting inside her body and squeezes Nipal tighter.

Shaking and sweating, the rabbit almost misses a nudge padding him in the hips. His eyes can't tear from the horror unfolding; he strokes his stubby fingers over the what's poking him, and he feels scaly skin and one toe moving. Two toes. He squeals, "Zera! The Rook is moving!"

Her strong hold loosens and she desperately watches for the rest of his body to move.

* * *

The back of Raph's hand meets with a mighty crack across Leo's face. Splinter, Don, and Mikey gawk at the show of aggression, and Splinter and Don wait patiently for a response. Mikey leaps to his feet and jams Raph in the shoulder, almost as hard as he slapped Leo. "Who gave you the right to decide for him?" he says through clenched teeth.

"What the hell, Mikey! He's our brother. What if he doesn't come back this time? Who's gonna look so smart then?"

Mikey's nostrils burst, and he closes his eyes for a second to calm down. He opens them again and peers down at Leo. "It's not your call," he mumbles offhandedly to Raph. "Don't touch him again."

Raph hastily moves, but Splinter's abrupt hand stops him, and Raph clamps his jaw and rubs his hands, still eager to put an end to this mess.

The world returns to Leonardo, and Mikey's homely eyes are the first to greet him. "I'm sorry, Bro," his soft voice breaks through the fog, "we'll figured something out, okay? Wake up and let's talk about it."

* * *

Zera and Nipal's hearts drop in their stomachs as the Rook's foot stops moving. Stone, once again. The Littos and two Lucarucs reach their devastating claws for Zera's damp, suseptible back, and she braces against the attack, knowing overwhelming pain and, eventually death, will follow.

A crackly scream, different from the creatures, and several short booms pierce through the air. Zera hears the Littos and Lucarucs crow and shrill in protest and doesn't feel the brute force of their attack. She shivers, more from fright than cold, and peers into an old Ymoh's cloudy blue eyes. A human, like she first saw Leonardo. They're rare and scattered, and it takes her by surprise.

His scrawny frame and large red, clunky bazooka in his grip wobble down the hill, spitting sand around his bare feet. The wind flaps through his sparkling black jumpsuit, a stark contrast between it and the burned sky, and she watches as he shoots more bullets at the Littos. They dash after whatever hits the ground from the bazooka and aggressively tear and fight each other.

"Them water worms like tacos, ya know?" his scratchy voice laughs, and he fires more food at the creatures. Nipal recovers from the shock and digs out of Zera's grip.

"Thank you, thank you!" he cries, falling backwards over the Rook's feet. "We were close to death!"

"Don't you get too comfy there, rabbit-ling," the old man arches the bazooka into the air. Zera and Nipal watch the Lucarucs regroup and circle a tight formation.

"We ain't won here yet!"

* * *

_Next chapter: Leonardo receives a harsh lecture from his family. Can he convince them that he needs to return to the mystical land?_


	25. Bring Me Along

He hears footsteps approaching: Raphael's, judging by the hard thumps and means behind them. Leonardo opens his eyes and looks around their dojo; he sits calmly in the middle of the room, but his mind fires from every end, then landing in the great sea of remorse.

Raph leans against the doorway, crossing one leg over the other and his arms in a tight grip. "When are you going to stop moping? It's kinda sick." He means it as more of a joke, but it hardly falls from his lips as one. "You've barely spoken to us. We tried talking to you about what happened. What more do you want?"

"I want," Leo breathes deeply and shields his eyes from the small light in the room, "peace. I have so much to overcome and finalize."

"Did you really want to risk it and possibly never return?"

Leo melts into the mental sea instead of risking another argument. He holds steady.

Unfolding his legs and arms, Raph feels a strange calmness washing over him, but his blood still runs warm. "Take me with you."

Leo hears another set of footsteps; he confuses Don and Mikey's often. This pair has an anxious feel to it. Leo opens his eyes and bores a hard look into Raph. "I can't risk it. I don't even know how I got there."

Raph feels a presence behind him. "We'll find a way. Right, Mikey?"

"I've been trying. He won't budge." Exasperated, Mikey steps pass by Raph and stands between them, an uncomfortable silence drapes over the dojo. Mikey and Raph's minds and hearts scream for their distraught brother to simply push aside the reckless idea of returning to the girl and move on. A part of their own need to rescue her bites at their core, too, just like their leader. They can't imagine the anguish he's enduring, and while they strive to understand it, undoubtedly they fall short. Crushes, girlfriends, and romance haven't been at the top of their list of goals. It's been a hard road of survival and injuries. But this... for their leader, it feels natural for him to be the first to kiss the hand he rescued.

"She must be a cool girl," Mikey breaks a little smile, relaxing his shoulders. He watches Leo for approval. "She seemed cool being stuck, uh, in your body." He looks to Raph for assurance. "I know that sounded weird."

"It's not like we had a lot of time with her," Raph says, watching Mikey turn back to Leo.

Leo's cushioned words glide out of his mouth before he catches them. "She helped and guided me, and even though it was her duty, she enjoyed my company and cared for my well-being. I owe it to her to go back and help."

"That's not all, huh?" Mikey looks down towards Leo's seat.

A small grin curls in Leo's upper lip, and his head lowers slightly. "I owe it to her."

Raph claps his hands, making Mikey jump. "Okay! Then it's settled. We're going back. No arguing."

Mikey rotates his head like a robot, obviously flabbergasted by Raph's display of rudeness. "What are you doing?" he whistles through clasped teeth.

"I'm not standing around and watching Leo blush like a schoolboy. Now, shit, pack it up and let's grab Donny and go see Splinter. This is making me sick!"

* * *

"No! No!" Zera screams as she lugs the Rook's body through the relentless sand and falls through his disappearing hands. "What's happening, Nipal? He's vanishing!"

Nipal scuttles around the Rook's feet, carefully watching the old human fire tacos at the dive-bombing Lucarucs, but Lady Zera isn't lying or seeing things: the Rook's body is fading, showing tiny mounds of dark sand where his body once lain. Nipal twiddles his furry thumbs and mutters, "I'm sorry. I don't know what to d-do..."

"No, please.." Zera presses her hands across his chest and arms, but they quickly topple into the sand. "Is he going back home?" her voice pitches high and warbles. "It's where he wanted to go."

"Make your thinking quick, Navrians!" the old man shouts, lowering his bazooka. "I'm all out of tacos and cares. Let's go!" He grabs Nipal by his suspenders and guns through the sand with his legs wide apart, avoiding rocks and rogue taco shells. Zera scoots backwards, helplessly viewing the last of Leonardo's body vanish into the shore breeze; she pines over the sand and jabs her hand into a keen shell, spilling trickles of blood in her path. She sees the old man and a wiggling Nipal run over the hill. The sand slows her down, sinking her feet in its mighty snare. Lucarucs are hard on her trail, and a deafening, brittle scream comes from the hill and halts her in one spot.

Little Nipal's legs and ears flap wildly in the air as one determined Lucaruc snatches him from the ground and dangles his furry body. Disgusted, Zera summons what strength she has left and frees one of her legs, using her arms and upper body to capture the other leg. She flops only a short distance until a set of scaly, feathered claws entraps under her arms, lifting her high from the hole and causing the beach to get smaller and smaller. In her panic, she momentarily catches the old man chasing after them.

Overcoming a great challenge, the Lucarucs flock and cry a swift victory to each other. She shields her ears from the appalling noise and frantically searches through the mess of airborne feathers and giant black wings for Nipal. The mangy birds swoop over a high, leaning cliff, and dive for their landing. Zera's face stretches from the sudden burst, and the ground collides into her chest with a crackling thud. As she breathes through the dirt and grass, she knows her body has completely given up. No more energy, no more anything.

While the enemies continue their barking charade, Zera's sore neck rises, and Nipal's bloody eyes meet hers. All around him: beads of blood and torn pieces of fur. She crawls to his still body and pushes him into her shoulder, leaning into his and holding back tears of anguish. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry.." she repeats with faltered breath until she grows quiet and hugs him close.

Although her hearing drops behind a thick curtain, she notices the threatening and exciting caws turn critical and alarmed. Has the old man returned with another round from his bazooka? Her heart doesn't celebrate early; the bazooka will run out again, and the Lucs can't be beaten. They are too many and too powerful.

"Donny, that was my shoulder!"

"Well, move over there!"

A Lucaruc squeals and its noise flies further away. "What the hell are these things? KFC rejects!" Some grunts and punches clap over the cliff; the Lucarucs are having a terrible time with whoever is fighting them.

The voices are so familiar, she realizes. A warble comes from Nipal's throat; she feels a strong hand on her shoulder and Nipal whimpering, "Where did you go.."

"I'm here. I'm here," the Rook's gentle voice washes over his two injured friends. "Zera, can you get up?"

She fumbles over Nipal, keeping her hands under his body, and the sun stings her eyes, but she sees his shadowy outline. "Are you okay?" she asks, wobbling her heavy head and weak neck. He holds her steady and she finally sees his kind eyes and face under the sun and clouds.

"I'm not the one who looks rough," he chuckles.

"Leo! Could use some help!" Don chokes and shakes another Lucaruc, punching it over the cliff and avoiding another careening over his head. "Just a few more and we got this!"

Realizing their days are numbered, the Lucarucs retreat into the distance, spilling feathers everywhere and leaving their fallen comrades scattered on the cliff. The Turtles wipe their heads clean and chuck the rest of the bodies off the cliff, whistling sound effects as the bodies bounce off the rocks and flop into the sea. They laugh and high kick from the adrenaline and victory; Mikey nearly falls, but Raph catches him in time, and they can't stop laughing. It simmers down as they patrol around the cliff and watch the sun melt away the redness of the sky.

Beside Zera on the ground, Leo scoops Nipal in his arms and touches his little pink nose. "You got some battle wounds there, friend." The rabbit sighs a big relief and cuddles safely in his Rook's arms. Mikey leans over and guides Zera to her feet, holding her arm over his shoulder. He gives her a smile as she looks up and she returns it with a half smile, half injured groan.

Leaving Don at the post, Raph walks over and asks Zera, "You okay?" He pats Leo on the shoulder and warily looks over a snoozing Nipal. She nods silently and keeps a hand over her chest.

"What were those things?" Mikey shuffles his left leg for balance. "They were pretty ugly."

"And noisy," Raph adds, tapping Nipal on the head and seeing if the rabbit is alive; Nipal shifts his head from the touch.

"Lucarucs," she breathes deeply.

"Bothersome things," Leo says, noticing how fast Zera is slouching. "You shouldn't need to worry about them for a while. Let's get you two somewhere safe." He smiles at her, and she returns it, creating an awkward moment for the other siblings.

Mikey finally pipes up. "So where do we go?"

"Someone's coming," Don whispers from their right, looking over the cliff's border.

"Who is it?" Leo hands Nipal over to Raph's clumsy hands.

Don shakes his head and counters, "An old guy in a sequin black jumpsuit dragging a questionable monster up the hill. This place intrigues me."

* * *

_Next chapter: Leo is told the reason why he was summoned to Anavrin, and then it's time to say goodbye._


	26. The Flight of Piko

Don scampers out of the way as the old man lugs a flapping, hooting Litto by its tangled ebony locks up the cliff. He dumps it in front of the Turtles' party and pops it on the head to shush it. The Litto cowers in fear shielding its head from another attack. "I found this here water worm sniffing tacos on the beach. I pulled me some details out of its nasty mouth that you might wanna know."

Everybody waits for the Litto to speak, but it remains silent. He gives it another clout and it whimpers. Leo is reminded of Nipal with the Litto hunkering and hiding from everyone. "Speak, ya ugly thang!" the old man barks, slapping it across the shoulder.

"Me, me," it crows, coiling its large fin and keeping its head low. "Me..."

"Say yer name!"

"Me Piko!" it shrills, ducking on the ground and quivering. It mumbles into the ground, and the old man yanks it by the hair again.

"Piko, spit it out!" he roars and whiplashes the Litto to sit up and talk. Its huge orange eyes captivate its audience, but strikes a little fear in Zera, who, only moments earlier, had been chased by the same evil eyes. She looks closer and sees only one eye is darker than the other, and Piko the Litto only has half its teeth, smaller than the other Littos, and a large lump on its right cheek. Is this a young or injured Litto?

"What is it, Piko?" Leo speaks, stepping to the creature; Piko's orange eye follows his every move until he's towering over it. He calmly says, "Tell us everything."

Piko shuffles back and looks over its right shoulder. "M-mate left. Reef house took away. Me alone."

"What the-?" Raph whispers with a cocked grin, looking at Don and Mikey. "This doesn't make any sense."

"You call for me," Piko whimpers and runs its steely claw in the dirt along a jagged trail. "I be a little late." It mumbles something else but nobody can hear it.

"Pardon?" Leo arches his head to hear the creature better. Instead, it grabs a handful of dirt and smears itself with it. "Piko, please speak up!"

The old man kicks more dirt on the Litto and slaps the back of its head into submission, sending it crying. The Turtles are bedazzled by the show of aggression, but Zera is strangely content after being chased by the varmins. "What Piko is saying," the old man grunts, "is that one of you fellers wished to see her, and she ran a little late."

In a series of shrugs and mumbles, none of the Turtle brothers have any idea and can't remember such a thing. Leo bends down to Piko's level and removes a touch of hair draped over its wet face. Piko's bright orange eye looks wildly at Leo while the darker one peers at the ground. "One of us wished for you? Are you sure it was us?"

Piko nods briskly, and the hair falls back over its face as Leo stares down at Piko's holes in the dirt. His brothers converse with each other and the old man over the matter. Their voices die into a hum, floating with this thoughts, and he goes as far as he can into his memory. Did he ever wish to see a mermaid? What child didn't want to see a magical creature? The gears churn more, and through the many years of battle, meditation, and learning, he hits a junction between childhood and adolescence, at a point when he wasn't fully aware of his potential or which road he should take. It had been a difficult time, though his family never knew. In that, he wished for..

"A place I could be a hero," he breathes, returning to Anavrin and his family, and touching Piko's hair again. "It was me, Piko, but I called you so many years ago. Why were you late?"

"Mate go away, and house go." Piko flinches suddenly from the old man's shift from one leg to another. "Me chase you, sorry."

Don leans over Leo and taps him on the shoulder. "I think what Piko might be saying is that her mate left and her house was taken away."

"Dude, you figured that out?" Mikey chimes, steadily keeping Zera on her feet. She realizes another aspect to the story.

"Piko was the creature who attacked you, and we rescued you from it."

"No mean too," quips Piko, twirling its hair and silver fin nervously. "Bad day."

"Bad day?" Raph jerks Nipal in his arms and quickly stops before he drops the little guy. He hisses, "You almost killed him over something like that?"

Piko scampers away, and the old man scoots it back to its warm spot. He stretches his bony finger out and growls in his accent, "Piko's done enough damage. It's going back to the sea. Here, here!" He dangles a taco over its head, and Piko claws for it, making scratchy noises with its throat and following the human down the hill, leaving the party clamoring for an explanation to what just happened. Nobody can come up with anything and look at each other in silence.

"Here you go, Leo," Mikey whistles, carefully switching Zera to Leo as soon as he stands. Mikey motions the other brothers to walk with him.

"I have to take the rabbit too?" Raph's big voice breaks the tender moment. Mikey pats his shell and walks in the other direction, down the hill.

Leo helps Zera hobble to a small clearing and take a seat next to a yellow boulder. She winces a little, careful not to show any discomfort. "How did you come back?" she asks, looking up at him.

"Our father can work magic almost," he laughs, "but really it was pure luck. I hope we can make it home."

"You risked it?"

"I did. We did."

She watches a black feather flitter on the ground. "I'm glad you came back."

"Me too." He notices his brothers down the hill talking with the old man. Zera's grunt brings him back to her. "We should get you to a doctor, or whoever you go to here."

"I missed you," she blurts out and immediately wishes she didn't say it. "I wanted to say goodbye, I mean."

He kneels down and smiles at her. "I missed you, too, and I wish you could go with me."

She nods towards the edge of the cliff. "You came from the water; you leave in the water."

"You can't come with us at all?"

"I have a duty to my Reformer, Nipal, to see he is well, and I can't simply cross over like you did. I would probably die or be transported somewhere else."

Leo caresses her damp cheek and flattens her tuff of fur on her head. "You keep sharp and out of trouble."

She tiredly grins and scoffs. She turns back to his brothers for a moment and, noticing all of their backs facing them, she returns to Leo, wishing to sneak a kiss, but his lips already meets hers in a sloppy embrace. They stay in the private moment until a random brother hollers in the distance. Zera breaks the kiss, embarrassed by his brothers running up the hill and cat-calling. Leo shakes his head and plants a smooch on her forehead. He holds her hand tight.

"The water's been fussy lately," the old man croaks, "More so than usual. Must be because of you fellers."

"Hey, I think something's glowing beneath the hill," Don says, running to the edge. Raph gives Nipal to the old man and happily tags after Mikey and Don.

"It's a portal, I think." Mikey kneels and leans over the edge. Vibrant hues of gold and white crinkle over their bodies; the portal stretches over the shore, well into the vast sea, humming and glowing with intensity. From her seat, Zera recognizes the magical sound.

"Sinai," she says to Leo standing in front of her. "Sinai will guide you home." His grip eases on her hand, and she smiles at his frown. "Some day. I promise."

The connection between the two is severed, and Leo joins his brothers near the edge. He looks one final time, his relief seeing Zera smile and wave, and the Turtles link hands and leap into the portal far below the cliff. As the eerie hole disappears, it leaves the imprint of a dreamcatcher in the sky, and diminishes into the sun's rays.

* * *

_Next chapter: In the hazy aftermath, Zera and Nipal scramble to heal and put their lives back together again._


	27. Sympathy for the Rabbit

She gently places Nipal on a florid levitating creature; its armored, smooth shell of bands providing a comfortable ride for injured little ones. Its shimmering, apparent tail stretches passed the old man's compact, modest hut, and a placid look hides on its ruffled snout. It looks rather content under its shell and surrounded by its sparkly limbs.

Nipal glances at her. "You didn't leave me, Lady Zera."

"Why would I do such a thing? You stayed by my side," she says, caressing his matted head. He smiles as she does, never having smiled at him before, and his heart warms.

"Are you coming with me?"

"No." She frowns, easing the motion of her hand. "I won't be far behind. I need to make the journey back alone."

"You're," he chokes, "you're always doing it alone. I can come with you-"

"No," Zera softly chastises and releases her hand. She pats the floating creature on its chin. "The Sorma will guide you and keep you safe." The Sorma rises in the air on command. Zera's features growing smaller, Nipal starts reaching for her but stops midway and lay his hand on his chest. Her decision is concrete and nothing will break through it.

She waves until she can't see the Sorma's bright tail in the sky anymore. The old man watches Zera's back and then scans down the hill and over the beach. He can't find the right words to say to someone he hardly knows, but it's clear how much pain she's withholding. "Little lady," he begins, clearing his throat and throwing his hands in his pockets, "I hear tale that you youngins' came from the Blue Thicket. Now you're not thinking about going back, yeah?"

She doesn't answer.

"I got ol' Blub two huts down who can patch your wounds and send you on your way. Can you do that?"

She turns back and nods.

"Well, good then. I have more tacos if you want any. I ain't feeding these worms anymore or they'll stick around my hut and I ain't ever getting rid of them.." He wobbles up the hill, flicking sand and talking into the air where nobody can hear him.

Zera walks to the edge of the cliff and peers down, hoping to see a ray of light. It's only the water crashing along the rocks far below, and she loses herself in the solemn noise, letting all thoughts of Leonardo and their adventure together crash the way of the ocean, back to its genesis.

* * *

As soon as she steps out of Blub's medic hut, a rather sterile environment in contrast of its run-down exterior, a Sorma is waiting for her. She scoffs at the regal creature, "They haven't wasted any time, right?" expecting a response back, but the Sorma never speak, so it's pointless. The sound of her own voice irritates her.

Confused, the old man gaits out the door and smokes on a long pipe; he talks through the smoke, "What's that, Narvian? Ain't those cloud worms for injured folks?"

She eyes the levitating Sorma, following its every curve and line. The old man fidgets with his pipe, irritated by her persistent silence. His sighs and puffs bring her back to the ground. "The Sorma are part of the Range's court. They have summoned me."

"Are ya going?" A ring of smoke wafts passed Zera's head.

"I'm bound to the Range. It's a privilege."

"Where did those fellers go? They a part of it, too?"

The thought lances her throat. "No. They're foreign."

"Why didn't you go? I saw ya licking lips with one."

She can't be mad at the old prune for trying to care. "I can't go. My place is here."

He smokes on the thought and clears his throat. "Can't argue with that." He turns back to the hut and waves goodbye. "Have a safe one, and come back when ya like but leave the water worms behind. I can't stand those damn things." His last few words are half-way heard through the closing door.

Steadying herself, Zera loops one foot through the glowing blue stir and slings her leg to the other side of the Sorma. Riding one washes a cool sensation through the body followed by warm, fickle spots. It's the perfect ride for the injured and the select recreational. The last time she rode one, it went berserk and launched her into a tent.

Naturally, she is nervous. She slowly reaches around its head and pats its chin. The airlift is harmless enough, watching the ground grow smaller, and finally the wind streams through her ears. The ride will be long, and she'll have ample time to reflect. At this, her stomach burns again.

The Blue Sung Thicket soon trespasses into her view, its shimmering trees and shrubbery reaching far into the yellow and pink diamonds of the sky. As beautiful as it is, she looks forward over the ocean and waits to see her home city in the distance.

* * *

The nurses and doctors are nameless, and maybe he sees the same one every now and then. They never smile or ask him anything. Fidgeting often, Nipal peers through a mist around his eyes at the same, straw-lined ceiling. Time crawls. His wounds itch and curd under the skin, testing patience under a thin bridge of endurance. The blessing to change into a walrus has long since gone, as it was a means to deal with stress. Fly away. Fly far from any threat. What will be his next transformation? Will there even be a next transformation?

Does he still hold the title of Reformer?

He drifts mentally, caressing the worrying thoughts and it distilling a bitter taste in his mouth. The last image drops cold in his heart: she hasn't visited. Not a word. Is she okay? Should he hurry and get out of here in case she needs help?

A whimper ripples in his throat, and he falls into a dismayed slumber. What feels like hours is only a couple of minutes as a fast shake arouses him. Nipal jerks in the stranger's arms and hazily looks into its bright, protruding green eyes.

"You've been sleeping enough, Reformer. Arise," a dusty, female voice commands of him. He doesn't have long before she's sweeping out wires and sitting him straight. His head swims from the movement, and he's barely able to make out her shape: a tall, slender deer-ling, dressed in a flowing pearl gown, and a look of haste on her peppered brown and black face. Her cupped ears stand to attention. "Move, Reformer!"

"Where is Lady Zera?" he stumbles his words.

She dumps a fresh heap of red suspenders in front of him. "Zera is no longer your Retainer."

"What is your name?"

A cross look turns his bones to silver. "Why are our names important?"

"No reason," he mumbles through the clothes slipping over his head. "I apologize."

The rest of their meeting is silent. He has trouble gaining balance on his stumpy body and nearly falls off the bed until she catches him. "Can you stand?" she asks, holding him at a distance. His swollen eyes stare at her in the place of a response; she twitches her charcoal nose for a fleeting second. "I am Lores. You have a wire still attached to your arm. Hold on." She grabs it and announces, "This will hurt."

The surge of pain tears through his body as she juggles the needle out of his arm; he holds in his defeat and rubs the sore spot. Lores studies his reaction, remaining quiet while organizing wires and soaked needles onto a gold table.

"I want to see Zera." His voice clears after several grunts; he waddles to the door. "Then I'm yours."

Almost in the middle of an objection, she curiously watches her new Reformer dismiss anything more and limp out the door into the sparsely crowded street, pedestrians paying him no mind. Words fall back in her throat, and she investigates this strange, but loyal, Reformer.

Once they reach the castle adorned with black vines over its piercing stone walls, Nipal pauses by the entrance, catching his breath. As terse as she wants to be with such a pitiful creature, Lores gives a gentle push and guides him to the Range's main hall. She wrinkles her nose at her embarrassment by the guards' smirks.

Nipal's legs forge strength again. He looks up at his new Retainer. "You know Lady Zera?"

"I don't like repeating myself. Your focus should be on your new Retainer and serving the present Rook."

He hardly remembers the crisp smell of the castle or its slick floor; the grand walls and monuments of heroes past and present; and the magnificent court and its creatures. His footsteps echo slightly; Lores' has a punch to hers. He knows how angry she is, but for once in his meager life, he doesn't care. "Please tell me about this new Rook."

A resigned line of gray and red-draped soldiers meet their glances and nod approval at their passing. Lores tightens her lips but proceeds smoothly, "He is strong-willed and valiant. He will ensure our safety and prosperity. Food is plentiful and care is provided to all.."

Her speech fades into scattered whispers. He locks eyes on a beautiful harem, swinging curtains of their milky gowns into the air and harmonizing their minds and bodies as one. The Rook sits high on his gray throne encased in a black ice, slithering a pronged tongue through a jail of razor teeth and a enlarged, leathered beak. Nipal quivers at the sight of the giant, scary Rook and why he is hungrily spying at the harem.

But Nipal notices her right away and watches Zera carefully perform with the other ladies. She hasn't looked his way at all.

Lores taps Nipal on the head. "You see she is in the best care possible. It is a privilege to be part of the concubine."

"Then why does she look so sad?"

"Sad?" Lores jeers, tugging tight at her hands crossed behind her back. "You must need more rest, Reformer. That isn't a face of displeasure."

"Can I speak to her?"

"No. You must wait until Underlight when the Rook and his Range have dinner."

"Will you be there?" Nipal looks up at her, twiddling his fingers. "Zera will be there, too, right?"

Her eyes bulge from the irritation. "Reformer, you are no longer bound to her. She is safe. Why are you so obsessed?"

"Because she's my friend and I never got to say goodbye."

"Retainers and Reformers are not friends," Lores snaps, jerking Nipal in his spot. "The sooner you realize this, the better. Come. We have training."

Nipal seizes one more glimpse of his Lady Zera, throwing the veil over her face, finishing the dance, and bowing at the feet of a questionable Rook. The rabbit-ling has one more wild card up his sleeve and he has to time it right, when Lores isn't looking. The stress is enough to trip him over a soldier's foot, have Lores scream at him, and the harem look his way. Lady Zera misses him by seconds.

* * *

_Next chapter: Scared out of his wits but determined to see it through, Nipal meets with Zera and gives her one final gift: a chance to see Leonardo again._


	28. Against Her Will

During the rowdy dinner for the Range, Nipal slurps his soup and hides behind Lores. His eyes barely peer over the table, but he doesn't see the harem, or Zera, the entire time. While the crowd is jovial and boisterous, praising the Rook as he drinks his wine, Nipal scrambles out of his seat and bypasses the table in a few steps. The guards are unaware of his presence.

He skitters on the slick floor, aggravating his tender, bandaged wounds. The curt Lores had interrupted his training once he wailed against an attack and his legs creaked under him. Though she is very aggressive, he pillages into whatever heart she has and uses it to his advantage. Nipal feels weird taking life by its horns, and he treads carefully, as the former Rook had taught him. The real Rook.

Navigating through the castle worries his tiny mind, as it's almost a gem-like maze, dazzled in history and culture. He follows what has to be bigger statues towards the Rook's quarters, to hold and surround his colossal ego. Their milky stares frighten Nipal, and he juggles through the vines and labyrinth towards the sounds of female chatter. He tiptoes behind the guards and shuffles into a stately and pretty edge of the castle. Pink and yellow colors, like the sky, flower through lush red furniture and dim, scattered light. Antique art of sophisticated, unclothed women hangs from the ruby walls. He switches from the walls and immediately notices the bouncy, elegant group of females. Yet in the midst of the energy, he finds Zera sitting tight in front of a mirror, waiting patiently as another gives her a makeover. The hairdresser's songs fill the room, which makes Zera's whiskers twitch in sporadic increments. He sighs relief, knowing the new Rook hasn't changed who she is.

A gong rumbles through the castle, and the harem's pandemonium ceases as they gather their gowns in hands and silently march out of the room. Zera is the final one out of the room, and Nipal hisses at her. At first, she didn't notice until he takes a leap of faith and jumps in front of her before she hits the door.

"What are you doing here?" she snorts, scooping him in her arms and hiding behind a thick amber curtain. "I'm no longer your Retainer."

"I have a present for you, Lady Zera," he stammers. She quickly looks over her shoulder.

"You have to make it fast."

He cups her hands in his. "Here." She feels warmth rush through her hands and arms, followed by a cold lump of material. Once the spell is finished, a pink, diamond-studded telephone appears.

"What is this?"

"My last gift," he says with a smile. "Just find the Moon Tree, Lady Zera, and use it. It's no longer in the same place because it owes back rent, something like that. I know you can find it."

She's speechless and watches Nipal fight his way through the curtain and pitter-patter out of the room, ducking behind the guards and disappearing into the vines. She tucks the phone box behind the fabric and, through her haste, bows at the guards and jogs to the mess hall. Her mind reels through a list of explanations to the Rook for her absence, submerging the thought of the Moon Tree and the phone into the corner of her mind.

"I require my harem to move next to my room," the Rook's whirring voice echoes around the table. "Pack up, ladies, and meet me after dinner. Zera, how nice of you to show up late. Please come feed and clean me."

The Range's snickers and giggles slant her ears in agitation. She grows weary of being the one who brings up the rear; the court jester; the lowly maid. Zera picks up the elongated spoon and watches with hidden distaste at the Rook's slithering tongue sucking the food up. While she repeats the task many times and the Range yodels in spurts and launching food at one another, a safe thought balloons in her mind. It's the one place the Rook has no control. During the night, a small window of time creaks open and she trains hard, persuading every muscle, including mentally, until she goes back to the castle in tears.

"I have soup on my chin." His tongue flicks at her right ear when she wipes the liquid from his chin.

Her master Gurion's dojo is still operational, and she returned to it with renewed guts and as vehement as he once was.

The Rook whispers in her ear, "I'll eventually get to you, dainty lergnok." A slight twitch hits her whiskers over the vulgar term.

She gently lifts off his chin and a thought hits her: this creature, his intimidating eyes and foul mouth agape, enjoys hoarding items. He had treasures and landmarks placed in the castle once he arrived. The Moon Tree doesn't owe back rent. It was moved.

"Can I come tonight?" Zera presses her muzzle into his head. "I'm always the last one. Can I be first?"

The Range finishes their meals and entertainment, dispersing through the hall, and the harem line around the table. They wait for their next command. The Rook's nasty big grin is all the answer Zera needs.

* * *

Deep into the evening, before the Rook retires, Zera breaks from the hold, professing she's 'getting ready' for him, and, instead, peeps through his lavish ebony quarters with the phone in tow. She's never seen the inside of it and doesn't quite care to take notice. The dance to the closet claims her instincts, and her heart takes over the rhythm. She places her hand on the glossy door and pushes it quietly. She swallows in her breath as the once grand, flowing Moon Tree is reduced to a pink, spider branched sapling. A bitter taste exhales with her breath.

Time is important; she rushes around the sapling, finding a way to connect the phone into the tree. She feels pathetic, touching on the squishy plant and avoiding its thorny branches. Just as her temper reaches its peak, the phone steams and vanishes. She sits there, clamoring her hands around the tree, searching for the lost box.

"How did she get in-" comes a sharp, garbled voice. She leaps to her feet and flashes at the closet door, but it remains closed. Then, where is the noise coming from?

Another voice. "I'll fucking kill her!"

Her ears perked, she listens closer. The first voice returns. "We have to pick up the pieces and move on, Raph." Her sour mouth evaporates as it becomes clear who the voice belongs to. She almost squeaks through her nose.

Raphael's long tirade of grunts and curse words bore her. She interrupts in a whisper, "Can you hear me? Hello?"

Silence. Leonardo continues, "Can you shut up for one minute and think this through? We need a plan. A plan! The Foot knows where we live, and we..." Static crackles inside the tree, and Zera pops on it.

"I'm doing my own thing. Adios, chumps."

"Raph!" Leo yells. "Get back here!"

"Hello!" she whispers louder, desperate. "Leonardo, it's me!"

On the other end, Leo sighs and talks at someone else. "Let him go. I don't care anymore."

"You can't hear me..."

"Nobody listens."

"I do," she mumbles, rubbing the soft part of a branch, "It'll be okay. Your brother will come back."

The transmission fizzles out; the Moon Tree stands silent. She smiles back at the event, which has given her new hope. "I'll come back. Give me time and I'll help you."

The moment is cut short when the closet door scratches, and there stands the Rook, glaring at her. No words are spilled as she follows him into his chambers.

* * *

_Next chapter: New York City. What is going on with the Hamato family?_


	29. Pilot Light

Baffled by a rattling in her closet, April snatches the gnarled door and jumps when Mikey's big eyes from the floor catch the dirty yellow light swinging from the hallway. Her mysticism rocks with the clothes. "Uh, what are you doing in there?"

He pushes his headphones around his neck and leans out the doorway. "It was a quiet place. Sorry I scared you." This isn't the normal, happy Mikey, she already assessed. The Turtles have a history of keeping their feelings bottled up.

"Do you.." she idly reaches for a bra before it lands on Mikey's head, "...wanna talk about it? I mean, you can come in the kitchen and not stay in this little hole. I can't believe you fit in there."

He fiddles with his dented black mp3 player. "It's quiet and I'm out of the way."

"Stop that," she smiles, stuffing the bra on the top shelf. "You're not in my way. Come on. Get out of my closet." Standing behind the door, she waits as Mikey stands and marches with her to the small kitchen; his shell thumps against the wood chair as he sits. She blurts, "Sorry it's such a mess, but I was-"

"Cooking. I heard." A small grin crosses his face; she feels relieved and mixes him a cup of hot chocolate, something she was about to enjoy before the interruption. He continues in a small voice, "I'm glad you'll be moving soon. New job and more money is always good."

A spoon clatters in the sink. She joins him at the table. "I get to travel, too. Something I've always wanted to do. I'll bring you guys some cool souvenirs back. Maybe Casey, too."

Mikey chuckles and stares down the hot mug. "Everybody's traveling. Wish I could go."

She stops mid-sip. "Everybody?"

He shrinks back, retracting what he said, and swallows the hot liquid without thinking; he clenches his jaw from the pain and doesn't meet her gaze.

"Everybody, Mikey? Hey," she pats his side of the table. "I know you've been through a lot, and I told you I would be there for you. Meet me halfway."

"Ever since we had to move, it's been hell, and you know that.."

"I do." Her thirst for hot chocolate disappears.

"And everybody's been at each other's throats and nobody shuts up long enough to listen to anybody. It's like, god -" his music player almost drops out of his belt, "just shut up already and stop fighting. We have to fight assholes on the street and be assholes at home, too?"

"Has one of you left?" Her mind targets on the turtle in question. Raphael.

"Hold on to your hat, little lady. It's Leo," he scoffs, pushing away his cup and placing the music player on the table. "Like he hasn't left us enough."

"Mikey, that's not really fair-"

"He's leaving on his own this time."

"Back to that tripped out world? Who would want to go back there?"

His fingers twirl the device in a table ridge. "I don't know where he's going. He packed up his gear and left this morning."

"I knew things were bad," she catches her voice. "But not enough to tear you guys apart. He didn't even say goodbye?"

"He did to Splinter. Guess that's all that matters."

As his sullen face dips silent, she thinks of angles to approach from but they fall back to time, and needing it to heal wounds. She knows it won't help anything, and words evaporate on her tongue. Instead, she breaks from the uncomfortable meeting and tosses around the kitchen, shifts aside boxes of dishes and pads of moving paper. "Are you hungry? Want a pancake? I might have some chocolate or butterscotch chips to put in it," she offers, mixed between scouting for ingredients and looking back at the table for acknowledgment.

He can't let her good efforts go to waste. "Sure. Two of 'em."

She welcomes his attempt at a lighter conversation and throws him a reassuring smile. While in the middle of combining batter, stroking it, and firing the stove, the garbled music from the player goes lower and lower. She wonders if he's turned it down, or left the room. A quick peek over her shoulder finds him still at the table, leaned over with his elbows on his knees and hunting in thought. Back to cooking, April decides, flinging dollops of batter on the counter by mistake. Each pancake hisses and bubbles to perfection, passing the time by a little quickly and basking the kitchen in a homely aroma.

Mikey judges his emotions by the food's cries winding down and April's lack of discussion. He sums up the courage and barrels through his insecurity. "Leo, he, uh," a cough stung his throat, "took things with the Foot and Karai pretty hard. I don't blame him, you know? I've always tried to be there for him, for the whole family. Usually I get through to him, but not this time."

She doesn't turn to face him. The last pancake pops on the grill.

"And Raph had to, you know; he doesn't mean to trip or anything, but he likes to face his problems and Leo didn't want anyone else hurt. Not like he got hurt when she stabbed him, that stupid bitch-" He rubs his forehead profusely and runs his hands down his face. "Sorry, I didn't mean to say it like that, but she's a wacko and she hurt him bad when he tried to be a good guy. He's always a good guy. And he didn't deserve it."

He finally looks up after a small clink comes from the table. His hot food is served before him, along with a sad look from April. "You're all good guys. And she is a bitch."

"I just, you know," he sighs deeply, "wish we could be happy. Well we are sometimes, but it's like the few good times we have are followed by really bad ones, and I think Leo takes that the hardest."

She watches him stare out the window to his left. A long pause grows over the steaming food. Again, she can't come up with anything wise to say. That's usually Splinter's cue.

Mikey cuts his glance back to the table, staring her straight in the eye. "I don't know if he'll come back." He picks up his fork. "I don't blame him. We said some nasty things to each other, babe."

"But every family goes through things like this-"

"I don't think you would call us good guys if you heard it."

"Mikey, it's not like I haven't heard-"

He grazes off a piece of pancake and looks it over disdainfully. "Not like this. We pushed him away. We pushed him away." He bites delicately on the fork and continues the rest in silence. She takes her seat across him, her appetite lost.

* * *

_Next chapter: Where did Leonardo go?_


	30. Soul of a Beast

"It's the ghost of the jungle."

Whisperings across this lush rainforest reaches his ears every few days, and in those knowing moments, Leonardo is both humbled and irritated. A ghost. That's all he seems to be wherever he goes.

After scaring off another group of criminstas terrorizing a local village, Leonardo rests below the trees, inhaling the thickness of the jungle. Sometimes it can be suffocating, especially on the soil, and it reminds him of Home and its smelly walls. The two aren't so different in many ways. It's as close to Home as he can be, hundred of miles away and binded to the jungle walls. Walls follow him everywhere.

Before he ascends the tree and shrouds himself under the emerald umbrella, he curiously studies the trunk and scans over a scattered group of sun-drop mushrooms, laced in streams of orange and gold. A shrill, tinny voice circuits in his head, and he's reminded of animated little 'shrooms from months ago. Months; they've felt like years ago after what has happened, so much in a short time span crossing the line of awareness and dreams.

"You look very cute today, Minky the Magnificent," he says, bowing to the mushroom. "How is your studying coming along? You wanted to be a librarian."

Stupid, he realizes as the earthly mushroom, naturally, is silent. Minky's voice disappears in a cloud of mumble, having never formed any words, just sounds. It's gone now.

Peering up the tree, he sees the outline of the StockCrib, a small treehouse on the outside, but a mansion inside its timber dimensions: the closet, the bed, the kitchen, and the Yen Room; all the rooms that breed good thoughts. Over a year in the jungle, his mind is consumed more with training, meditation, and drifting reflections of his family. Only a handful of times has he remembered Anavrin, Nipal, Minky just now, the zany creatures and places, and of a fennec-ling who he hopes resolved her feelings and moved on to better things. He grasps tight onto the fresh memories that he has.

One more time, he speaks aloud without hesitation, "That's a good pup." He smiles and glides up the tree at the thought of her bloated, furry face over her affectionate nickname. The cries of the jungle greet him at the top, and Leonardo sits quietly, watching every move the jungle makes. It is a vast creature itself, and very selfish. If it invites another in, its jaws tower and saliva writhes around its edges. He is no king, but merely a servant camouflaged and steady.

Under a canopy of bush in the distance, something, or someone, chops against the forest, breaking a path towards his way. Alerted, he watches closely, leaning to see what is coming, but the guest remains hidden. Only one way to see for certain, he knows, and that's on the ground. His body pops off the tree, barely disturbing the plant life around it.

What sounds like a high, curt voice cuts through the trees; it inches closer to him, and he recognizes it as female. His home tucked under the forest is just ahead, and he makes a dash for it before the voice reaches him. The hole is only large enough for a small, lean person to push through, and he waits, breathing lightly through his nostrils. The grunts and beats against the thicket grow louder, and soon he hears a swift, "I'll kill him making me come through Jurassic Park!", and he smiles, knowing who bears the voice. She squeaks and yelps falling through the hole and vines on the way down; he holds out his arms in time to catch April O'Neil, adventure girl and dinosaur hunter.

"Nice of you to drop in, my lady," with a small chuckle. Her bloodshot eyes catch his, and he feels a little smaller.

* * *

"Isn't it time you come home, Leo?"

The fire between them crackles and spits as he jabs a stick in it. He sighs, "I feel like I still have something more to do here. I'm not ready."

April feels a cool draft prickle her bare arms, and she moves closer to the fire. "We want you home. I know the guys miss you, especially Mikey."

"I miss him, too."

She looks around for a moment. "Did you see where I dropped my machete?"

"I got it over here." He hands it to her beside the fire. She takes it gently.

"Did you come out here because they said something mean to you?"

He throws her a cocked, dry grin. "Is that what you think it was?"

"Things were pretty bad, with the Foot and relocating. Everyone has their breaking point."

The warm stick tossed by his side, he peers deep into the fire. "This has been a long time coming actually. I feel like I do better on my own, learning more and becoming a better person. If I can't control myself, how can I help anyone else?"

She watches him for a moment. A garbled voice bleeps from her pocket, and she reaches for her walkie, pressing it as it lifts to her mouth. "Yeah, I'm here."

"Where are you?" the voice cries. "I'm surrounded by bees and they're all in my hair."

"It's Vernon," she whispers to Leo, and gets back on the walkie. "I'm coming. Over."

"What are you doing out here?" Leo throws back at her, smiling. "Where's Casey? I thought that was him."

"I got a new job. It's like my dream job, going to exotic places and being a journalist. Vernon's my new sidekick. He's annoying." She sighs, the smile quickly disappearing. "Come home soon. I might not be there but the others are, and they need you."

"Be safe here, and don't ever go alone like that again," he chastises, shaking his finger at her.

"Look who's talking," she snaps and places on her feet. "Take care, you."

He guides her to a nearby clearing and watches her ascend into the twilight. She gives a farewell smile and wave, soon consumed by the thicket. A sudden twinge of loneliness bites at him, but it passes as a hollow growl behind him catches his attention; it numbs his chest but sends tides down the rest of his body, standing his senses on their edges. Whatever is on guard behind him, will soon be a memory. The numbness evaporates, and he makes the forest his ally with much haste.

Leonardo whips through the brush, both familiar yet suddenly, a dangerous maze. Whatever's chasing him is as fast as he is and gaining enormous speed. His senses bleed together, cooking on his tongue and festering in his ears. The predator's odor fuses into the heavy, humid air, whistling quickly around his warm, damp face. Every hop off the dry floor falls behind time, and seconds are long stretches until refuge.

Running out of time and momentum, he sees a large tree, one he has ascended many times and considers a safe haven, ahead of him; his hands and feet latch on the husky bark, denting rashes across his skin. He climbs swiftly, ignoring the branches thumping across his face, to the highest, most sturdy branch. In the time it takes his predator to ascend, he draws his katana and faces it for the first time, its huge mouth inviting his death. Before he can form its name, he thrusts the quiet katana down the cat's mouth and into its very bowels. It croaks and whimpers soft before its eyes stop moving and body slumps.

He recovers his weapon out of the creature's grasp and hears the thump of its body on the soil. Peace has found him once again. He almost didn't notice how wild his breathing is until the sounds of the forest return to his ears.

Cautiously, he braves the ground again and eases around the cougar's corpse. Blood trickles out of its rotten mouth, and its sudden twitch arches him back, grabbing his katana. A few more moments and nothing happens. The odor bombards him, and he stands back further. One sliver of good out of this predicament is, he has dinner.

Another noise rustles behind him. Both his katanas unwind and he shoves a sharp object out of the person's hold, and hears it thump in the distance. He eases away, stepping over the cougar's body without looking down. His katanas creating a shield, he waits for the next threat. The breathing in his ears block the forest's whispers.

The leaves shiver and catch a beam of sun escaping through the trees. He grips tighter, certain he can take on whatever is hiding, and he'll make it his prey.

He catches sight of the light tawny hair first, then the long ears draping by its head, and lastly, charcoal eyes fixed on his. Over her tired, dirty face, Zera smiles.

"You made it," his voice hurdles in his throat. The blades shake in his hands.

"I missed you." She hardly contains her tears from fatigue and happiness. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. Are you?" He steps over the corpse and tucks away his weapons. "How did you get here? I just.."

She follows his footsteps. "It was tough, but I proved myself worthy to cross the plane. I had a good teacher."

His arms embrace her in a massive hold. She leans the side of her head into his and breathes on his shoulder.

"I missed you, too," Leonardo talks into a fold of her ear. As he lets go and gives her a long look, he grows a little sad. "I can tell you've been through a battle." He slides his fingers down her left ear. "Brave lady."

She nods and takes his hands, pecking them.

"But I almost forgot about you."

"Almost tells me you didn't," a piece of the sun specks her cheeks. He notices how light and soft the jungle seems behind her, not as suffocating. His next breath collapses as she leaps into his unsuspecting body and kisses his cheek instead of his mouth. Gravity splinters from them, and he trips over the cougar, catching her just before her hands slip into the blood. A full moment passes before their snickering and laughter stir the birds.

"Zera," he chuckles, helping her to her feet, careful to lift the skirt around her ankles, "you've definitely changed."

Her black scarf droops over her left shoulder, tangled with a light blue shaw. "A good change?" She steps with him below the tree. "I remember how uptight I was. I was optimistic, even when it got bad, because that meant I was a day closer to seeing you again."

The initial shock lessening, Leonardo tugs both ends of her shaw and lifts them close to his beak. A different aroma bumps him; of a foreign wilderness on the edge of his memory, quiet sounds and eccentric beasts spring to life once more. He relives the Blue Sung Thicket and the journey of a hero and his maiden.

She wonders where his mind has taken him. Is he happy to see her? He seems a little distant, but the reassurance soars when he returns her smile and nods towards the tree. They carefully scope their surroundings and climb a tree so reminiscent from their time in Blue Sung. This is a different place, a world that fits every piece of its puzzle and invites many faces and footprints. She finds a comfortable spot for the both of them. Her eyes can't turn away from the most beautiful land under one amber ball she's ever seen and how up here, she feels the most secure she's ever been.

"I want you to enjoy being here." He curls his arm around her shoulder, feeling how relaxed she's become. "We have a lot of trials before us, and I have some explaining to do when I bring a lady home with me."

Zera leans into him. "I'll find my own place, don't worry."

"I didn't mean it like that-"

"As long as I know where to find you, I'll be fine."

He caresses over a small spot on her arm and whispers close into her ear, "You don't have to worry about that anymore." He pauses after a rumbly noise bellows from her stomach. "Are you giving me a hint?"

She tries covering it with her shaw. "It's been a while."

He peers behind them, checking on a potential answer to their small problem. "Ready for your first lesson in this new world?"

She follows his gaze and grabs a hunting knife from her hip pouch. "I've had a lot of practice back in the old one."

He ruffles the patch of fur on her head, letting the last year's problems fade with the sunset.

* * *

_A/N: Wow, this one and a half year old story has come to a close. I can't thank everyone enough for their support, comments, and even if you never reviewed, you have my thanks, too. I have to namedrop a few people, though: Alex Hamato, Bubblyshell, D'Fuentes, I Love Kittens, and Stoic Harlequin for your support through the last year. It was nice to hear your compliments and thoughts :) Oh, I'll even throw in Catastrophic Clio, who tore this story apart, but it was the fuel I needed to do better. I like having this story remain raw. You, the readers, witnessed my progress and struggles. It was certainly a learning experience and I had a lot of fun. I won't forget these characters anytime soon._

_Hope you enjoyed your stay in Anavrin. It will always be here. _


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